: 


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THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 


THE 
QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

IN    THE    YEAR    1917 
IN  THE  WORLD  WAR 


BY 
HENRY  G.  SHARPE 

major  general,  u.  s.  army 
(formerly  quartermaster  general) 


9»^Vf« 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1921 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
The  Century  Co, 


6r 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  TO  THE   MEMBERS  OF  THE 

QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

AND  ITS  CIVILIAN  PERSONNEL 

WHOSE    LOYAL,    UNTIRING    AND    DEVOTED    SERVICES 

MADE  POSSIBLE  THE  ACCOMPLISHMENT  OF 

THE   WORK   HEREIN   OUTLINED 


4C9902 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

I  am  under  deep  obligation  for  the  assistance  ren- 
dered me  in  preparing  this  book  by  the  following: 
Lieutenant  Colonel  John  H.  Adams,  Brigadier  General 
D.  L.  Brainard,  Colonel  F.  A.  Coleman,  Colonel  Wil- 
liam H.  Clopton,  Brigadier  General  John  M.  Carson, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Ezra  Davis,  Lieutenant  Colonel  L. 
L.  Deitrick,  Brigadier  General  Charles  B.  Drake,  Col- 
onel Charles  P.  Daly,  Colonel  John  S.  Fair,  Colonel 
William  E.  Grove,  Major  George  Hahn,  Colonel  Harry 
J.  Hirsch,  Colonel  Letcher  Hardeman,  Mr.  Emmet 
Hamilton,  Major  Henry  K.  Lemly,  Mr.  W.  H.  Lewis, 
Jr.,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Marcel  S.  Keene,  Brigadier 
General  A.  D.  Kinskern,  Brigadier  General  Herbert 
M.  Lord,  Colonel  Fred  S.  Munson,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Robert  E.  Shannon,  Mr.  O.  D.  Street,  Colonel  Thomas 
H.  Slavens,  Major  Amos  Tyree,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Frank  Van  Vleck,  Colonel  R.  H.  Williams,  Colonel 
Winthrop  S.  Wood,  Colonel  M.  Gray  Zalinski,  and  also 
to  Mr.  Edward  Hungerford  and  Miss  Elsie  Seeligmann 
for  suggestions  and  assistance  in  the  copying  of  the 
manuscript,  and  to  Mr.  Edward  Frank  Allen  for  the 
careful  editing  of  the  same  and  for  many  helpful  sug- 
gestions concerning  the  arrangement  of  the  contents. 

The  assistance  given  by  the  officers  above  named  was 


viii  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

tendered  under  great  strain  of  official  duties,  and  the 
extra  work  it.  entailed  required  the  sacrifice  of  time 
available  for  rest  or  diversion,  and  my  appreciation  of 
their  assistance  is  therefore  deep  and  sincere. 

H.  G.  S. 


FOREWORD 

It  was  a  gigantic  task  that  was  thrust  upon  the 
Corps  of  which  General  Sharpe  was  the  head  when  we 
entered  the  war.  Our  Allies  were  being  sorely  pressed 
and  needed  our  aid  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  and 
their  representatives  in  this  country  did  not  fail  to  press 
upon  Washington  the  necessity  for  haste. 

After  the  Armistice,  Lord  Reading  in  an  address  at 
the  University  Club,  described  the  situation  of  the  op- 
posing Armies  in  March,  1918,  when  the  enemy  was 
only  about  thirty  miles  from  Paris,  told  of  his  visit  to 
the  President,  adding  that  when  he  left  it  was  with  a 
lighter  heart  and  a  quicker  step  than  for  many  months 
before  as  he  hastened  to  cable  Lloyd  George  that  the 
American  troops  then  in  France  would  go  immediately 
into  the  battle  line  (though  without  that  thorough  train- 
ing theretofore  regarded  as  necessary)  and  that  troops 
would  be  taken  from  the  cantonments  and  sent  over  to 
take  immediate  part  in  the  fighting  as  fast  as  bottoms 
and  convoys  could  be  ready. 

The  impossible  was  attempted  on  our  part  from  the 
very  beginning,  and  in  the  effort  to  attain  it,  we  actually 
accomplished  that  which  was  never  before  even  attempt- 
ed by  any  nation.  The  Corps  of  which  General  Sharpe 
was  the  chief  employed  herculean  efforts  to  obtain  sup- 


x  FOKEWORD 

plies  on  time,  troops  being  sent  abroad  each  month 
beginning  with  September. 

This  book  indicates  that  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
of  the  Army  included  a  number  of  capable,  energetic 
and  efficient  men,  who  by  their  foresight  and  devotion 
to  duty  were  able,  as  the  author  states,  to  provide  the 
foundations  upon  which  the  superstructure  was  erected. 
It  also  indicates  the  duty  of  preparation  in  time  of 
peace,  for  while  as  a  people  we  desire  to  conserve  peace, 
the  manliness  and  independence  of  our  citizens  make 
us  deplore  the  necessity  that  others  were  obliged  to 
defend  the  gates  to  ensure  us  the  time  to  organize  our 
resources  and  strength  so  as  to  fight  for  the  liberty  of 
the  world. 

The  author's  poise  is  admirable  and  he  has  produced 
a  book  that  will  be  very  helpful  to  the  future  historian 
and  will  prove  exceedingly  attractive  to  those  who  read 
it  now. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    Introduction 3 

II    Personnel 17 

Civilian  personnel — Commissioned  personnel 
— Enlisted  men — Cemeterial  branch. 

III  Finance  and  Accounting  Division     ....       68 

Financial  problems  and  accounting  —  Diffi- 
culties and  embarrassments. 

IV  Supplies 90 

Supplies  division  —  Subsistence  branch  — 
Clothing  and  equipage  branch — Fuel  and 
forage — Conservation  division. 

V    Supplies  Division 129 

Clothing  and  equipage — Board  of  Control  of 
Labor  Conditions — Time  when  troops  could 
He  equipped — Calling  troops  in  advance  of 
time  so  designated — Shipping  troops  to 
France  complicated  conditions  as  to  supply 
— Additional  troops — Investigation  by  Com- 
mittee on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Senate — 
Shortages  at  camps — Number  of  men  in 
service  of  United  States  on  December  31, 
1917,  who  were  equipped — Number  of  men 
in  France  December  31,  1917 — Reserve  ship- 
ment of  supplies  to  France — Over  40,000 
men  equipped  in  excess  of  number  which 
was  stated  could  be  equipped  by  December 
31,  1917 — Problem  of  supply — Distribution 
of  supplies  in  this  country — Fuel  and  forage 
branch — Conservation  and  reclamation  divi- 


xii  CONTENTS 


VI    Remount  Division  and  Remount  Service     .     .     244 
Organization  and  operation — Method  of  pur- 
chasing   remounts    during    the    War    with 
Germany  —  Training   activities  —  Overseas 
units — Breeding. 

VII    Warehousing  Division 271 

Duties  assigned  to  Warehousing  Division — 
Two  classes  of  Quartermaster  Depots — 
Storage  depot  at  Boston — Functions  of  the 
six  branches  of  Warehousing  Division. 

VIII    Construction  Division 292 

Fourteen  training  camps  for  officers — Re- 
frigerating plants  for  use  in  France — Me- 
chanical repair  shop  units. 

IX    Quartermaster  Depots 301 

Problem  of  the  Grocery  Division — Clothing 
and  Equipage  Divisions — Forage  and  Ware- 
house Divisions — Purchasing  and  warehous- 
ing materials — Manufacture  of  uniforms — 
German  vessels  and  the  docks  at  Hoboken — 
Business  of  the  depots. 

X    Transportation  Division 343 

Rail  transportation — Water  transportation — 
Motors — Machine  shop  unit  at  Hoboken — 
Joint  Army  and  Navy  Board  for  the  In- 
spection of  Merchant  Ships — Planning  and 
designs  for  new  army  transports — Army 
vessel  building  program  for  construction  of 
numeral  small  craft — Militarization  of  the 
TJ.  S.  Army  vessel  service — Motor  trans- 
portation. 

XI    Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Florida    ....     403 

Object  of  the  camp — Instruction — Adminis- 
trative personnel. 

Conclusion 412 

Index 415 


THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 


The  Quartermaster  Corps  in  the 
Year  1917  in  the  World  War 

I 

INTRODUCTION 

An  eminent  writer  stated  that : 

"Men,  arms,  money  and  provisions  are  the  sinews  of 
war." 

If  he  had  included  transportation  in  this  classifica- 
tion, the  means  by  which  the  sinews  receive  their  nour- 
ishment, vigor  and  repair  would  have  been  indicated, 
and  the  statement  would  be  as  apt  today  as  when  it  was 
made  several  hundred  years  ago. 

All  armies  have  certain  organizations  which  provide 
the  supplies  necessary  to  maintain  their  efficiency.  Im- 
provement in  the  general  conditions  of  life  and  advance- 
ment in  science  necessarily  increased  the  number  and 
the  varieties  of  the  supplies  required ;  and,  as  a  conse- 
quence, separate  organizations  have  been  formed  to 
provide  such  supplies  as  are  considered  technical  or 
scientific.  In  this  country  all  these  organizations  in  the 
Army  are  generally  designated  as  the  Supply  Depart- 
ments. 

3 


4  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

It  is  the  purpose  to  discuss  only  the  organization 
known  as  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  and  to  indicate 
briefly  the  work  accomplished  by  it  in  the  year  1917  in 
the  World  War. 

In  order  that  a  fair  comprehension  and  full  apprecia- 
tion of  this  matter  may  be  obtained,  it  is  necessary  to 
recall  some  important  facts. 

Several  of  the  Supply  Departments  in  the  Army  were 
among  the  first  of  the  organizations  established  by  the 
Continental  Congress,  and  others  have  been  created  at 
various  times  since  as  necessity  arose. 

As  a  sequence  of  the  Civil  War,  and  because  of  the 
development  in  business  methods,  efforts  were  made  at 
various  times  to  effect  a  combination  of  several  of  the 
Supply  Departments,  but  these  efforts  failed. 

The  Commission  to  Investigate  the  Conduct  of  the 
War  Department  in  the  War  with  Spain,  appointed  by 
the  President  in  1898,  reported,  among  other  things,  as 
follows : 

"Finally,  In  the  opinion  of  this  Commission,  there 
should  be  a  division  of  the  labor  now  devolving  upon 
the  Quartermaster's  Department.  .  .  ." 

"Whether  there  should  be  one  great  department  of 
supply,  covering  the  Quartermaster's  Department  ex- 
cept transportation,  the  Subsistence  Department  and 
the  Pay  Department,  and  another  covering  the  im- 
portant problem  of  transportation,  including  the  move- 
ment of  armies  by  land  and  by  sea  and  the  supply  of 
animals,  wagons,  ambulances  and  harness,  is  a  subject 
for  the  serious  consideration  of  a  board  of  officers  whose 
experience  in  peace  and  war,  at  home  and  in  an  enemy's 


INTRODUCTION  5 

country,  would  render  them  most  competent  to  make  an 
exhaustive  investigation  and  to  present  a  complete  re- 
port upon  this  important  subject." 

In  1901,  Mr.  Elihu  "Root,  then  Secretary  of  War, 
appointed  a  Board  of  Officers,  comprising,  among  others, 
the  Chiefs  of  the  Quartermaster,  Pay  and  Subsistence 
Departments,  to  consider  this  subject.  This  Board  of 
Officers  submitted  two  reports  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
both  favoring  the  suggestion  but  differing  as  to  the 
manner  of  its  application. 

A  bill  was  later  submitted  to  Congress  by  Secretary 
Hoot,  and  was  opposed  by  all  the  Bureau  Chiefs  who 
were  on  the  Board  of  Officers.  As  the  bill  provided 
for  a  consolidation  of  the  three  Departments  into  the 
Quartermaster  Department,  such  opposition  could  have 
been  based  on  the  following  analogy:  The  hand,  one 
of  the  most  important  and  useful  members  of  the  body, 
is  a  union  of  the  thumb  and  fingers ;  a  consolidation  of 
these  might  result  in  an  enlarged  thumb,  but  the  com- 
bination forms  the  palm,  and  the  flexibility  and  useful- 
ness of  the  hand  is  thus  largely  increased.  The  bill 
failed  of  passage.  It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that 
the  bill  submitted  did  not  endeavor  to  establish  a  Supply 
Corps  proper,  for  under  the  able  administration  of 
Secretary  Root  such  a  corps  would  have  been  wisely 
organized  and  its  duties  clearly  defined. 

In  1911  a  bill  was  submitted  by  the  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives which  created  a  Supply  Corps  by  combining 


6  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  Quartermaster,  Pay  and  Subsistence  Departments. 
It  was  not  perfect,  but  it  was  a  step  in  the  right  direc- 
tion and  was  favored  by  the  Chiefs  of  the  Bureaus 
concerned;  and  while  many  of  the  officers  of  the  De- 
partments affected  did  not  favor  the  bill,  their  loyalty 
to  the  Chiefs  of  their  Bureaus  restrained  them  from 
endeavoring  to  make  their  own  views  known. 

The  bill  provided  the  rank  of  Major  General  for  the 
Chief  of  the  Supply  Corps,  whereas  the  rank  of  the 
Chiefs  of  all  the  other  Bureaus  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment was  that  of  Brigadier  General,  except  the  Ad- 
jutant General,  which  was  that  of  Major  General  dur- 
ing the  continuance  in  office  of  its  then  incumbent. 
This  seems  a  trivial  matter  to  note,  but  the  rank  ac- 
corded the  Chiefs  of  the  Supply  Corps  had  a  very  ma- 
terial effect  upon  the  subsequent  development  of  a 
real  Supply  Corps,  as  will  be  later  shown. 

An  officer  of  one  of  the  Departments  affected,  who 
had  announced  to  both  Committees  of  Congress  that  he 
was  not  an  aspirant  or  an  applicant  for  the  promotion, 
was  asked  what  should  be  the  rank  of  the  Chief  of 
the  Supply  Corps.  He  replied  that  it  should  be  de- 
termined by  the  financial  responsibilities  of  such  chiefs, 
as  salaries  were  always  made  commensurate  with  such 
responsibilities,  and  that  it  should  be  the  highest  rank 
then  given  in  the  Army,  that  of  Major  General.  The 
Chiefs  of  the  new  Corps  would  be  responsible  in  times 
of  peace  for  the  disbursement  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  millions  of  dollars  annually  and  accountable 
for  the  property  it  represented ;  and  in  time  of  war  this 


INTRODUCTION  7 

responsibility  might  represent  several  billions  of  dollars 
annually.  And  in  reply  to  a  further  question  if  other 
Chiefs  of  Bureaus  should  receive  the  same  rank,  he 
replied  that  that  was  a  question  for  Congress  to  de- 
termine, but  that  the  compensation  should  be  established 
by  the  financial  responsibility  of  each;  and  called  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  all  Railroad  Presidents  did  not 
receive  the  same  salary,  but  that  the  salary  of  each  one 
was  fixed  in  the  manner  suggested. 

The  bill  passed  each  House  of  Congress,  and  then 
was  sent  to  Conference,  and  upon  request  of  an  officer 
belonging  to  one  of  the  Departments  affected,  the  name 
of  the  new  organization  was  changed  from  Supply  Corps 
to  Quartermaster  Corps.  This  apparently  trivial  mat- 
ter prevented  the  possibility  of  creating  a  real  Supply 
Corps,  as  the  establishment  of  an  enlarged  Quarter- 
master Corps  was  assumed  to  be  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  the  rank  of  Major  General  for  its  Chief. 
Thereafter  all  the  other  Supply  Departments  held  ten- 
aciously to  the  right  to  provide  all  the  supplies  for  their 
Departments,  even  if  such  supplies  were  in  common  use 
in  two  or  three  Departments. 

The  viciousness  of  this  system  was  clearly  indicated 
in  1917  when  several  of  the  Supply  Departments  were 
in  the  market  for  practically  the  same  item  of  supply, 
resulting  in  competition  in  the  War  Department  itself. 
This  condition  could  not  be  changed  under  the  then 
existing  law;  bvit  was  effected  later  under  authority  of 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Overman  Law,  which  gave 
to  the  President  the  authority  during  the  continuance 


8  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

of  the  War,  to  transfer  duties  or  funds  from  one  De- 
partment to  another.  The  policy  of  Congress  had  been 
in  the  past  to  assign  to  a  Department  the  sole  duty  of 
executing  certain  work  or  providing  certain  supplies 
required  by  the  Army,  and  no  other  Department  was 
authorized  to  function  along  these  lines.  For  instance, 
the  Medical  Department  was  charged  with  the  duty 
of  providing  medical  attendance,  supplies  and  hospital 
treatment;  the  Ordnance  of  providing  ordnance  ma- 
teriel; the  Signal  Corps  of  providing  means  of  com- 
munication ;  the  Engineers  Corps  of  the  construction  of 
fortifications  and  river  and  harbor  works.  This  is 
merely  a  brief  and  incomplete  enumeration  of  the 
duties  assigned  by  law  to  each  Department,  but  is 
sufficient  to  indicate  the  point  referred  to. 

For  some  unknown  reason  when  the  Law  providing 
for  Deficiency  in  Appropriations  was  passed  just  after 
war  was  declared,  Congress  departed  from  this  well  es- 
tablished principle  and  authorized  several  of  the  De- 
partments to  undertake  certain  duties  which  had  before 
that  time  been  assigned  to  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 
The  Signal  Corps  was  authorized  to  pay,  subsist,  clothe 
and  quarter  the  men  belonging  to  the  Aviation  Section ; 
and  this  Corps  and  several  of  the  others  named  were 
also  authorized  to  provide  storage.  Organizations  were 
created  in  these  Departments  to  undertake  these  new 
duties.  Decentralization  was  thus  established  in  lieu 
of  the  policy  of  centralization  which  had  previously 
been  followed  and  the  various  Departments  of  the  War 
Department  were  thus  brought  into  competition  with 


INTRODUCTION  9 

each  other.  The  confusion  occasioned  by  this  change  in 
Congressional  policy  will  be  referred  to  again.  It  was 
remedied  later  under  the  authority  of  the  Overman  law. 
It  is,  therefore,  manifest  that  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
was  not  responsible  for  the  confusion  caused  by  change 
of  a  policy  of  centralization  to  one  of  decentralization 
during  a  time  of  war,  especially  as  it  had  received  no 
information  of  the  intended  change,  and  learned  of  it 
some  time  after  the  law  effecting  such  change  was 
enacted  and  when  the  competition  developed. 

For  many  years  there  has  existed  a  tendency  on  the 
part,  of  the  line  of  the  Army  to  criticise  the  Supply  De- 
partments, and  there  has  also  arisen  a  feeling  of  jealousy 
against  them.  At  times  this  tendency  has  occasioned 
wide  comment  in  the  public  press,  as  for  instance  in 
the  controversies  which  have  arisen  in  the  past  between 
the  Commanding  General  of  the  Army  and  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  based  upon  the  effort  of  the  former  to 
exercise  authority  over  the  Supply  Departments  and 
control  of  the  Army  appropriations  made  by  Congress. 

Those  who  supported  this  contention  seem  to  have 
forgotten  the  purpose  for  which  our  Revolutionary  War 
was  fought,  and  also  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
English  people  at  that  time  maintained  similar  views 
to  those  advanced  in  this  country,  and  in  fact  so  ex- 
pressed themselves  in  Parliament.  The  contest  in  both 
countries  was  against  an  arbitrary  and  despotic  form  of 
government,  such  as  is  instituted  when  the  doctrine  of 
the  divine  right  of  kings  to  rule  is  maintained.  The 
doctrine  of  the  divine  right  of  kings  to  rule  neces- 


10  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

sarily  carries  with  it  the  control  of  the  purse  and  the 
sword.  As  a  result  the  form  of  government  adopted  in 
this  country  necessarily  separated  the  power  of  the  purse 
and  the  sword.  The  Secretary  of  War,  who  has  almost 
without  exception  been  a  civilian,  was  charged  with  the 
custody  and  disbursement  of  the  moneys  appropriated 
by  Congress  for  the  support  of  the  Army  and  for  the 
property  pertaining  to  the  same.  To  assist  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  in  the  performance  of  these  duties  and 
financial  and  property  responsibilities,  the  Congress 
established  the  Supply  Departments,  the  Chiefs  of 
which  are  each  made  by  law  responsible  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  for  the  moneys  appropriated  for  his  sep- 
arate department,  and  the  property  held  by  it. 

A  Secretary  of  War  could  not  under  his  oath  of  office 
transfer  these  duties  to  the  Commanding  General ;  and 
furthermore  such  transfer  would  be  in  violation  of  the 
fundamental  principle  adopted  in  the  formation  of  our 
government,  of  separating  the  power  of  the  purse  and 
the  sword  from  the  control  of  one  man.  This  point  was 
shown  with  remarkable  clearness  and  lucidity  by  Mr. 
Root,  when,  as  Secretary  of  War,  he  advocated  the 
formation  of  a  General  Staff  and  a  Chief  of  Staff  to 
have  supervision  and  coordination  over  the  Supply 
Departments.  This  did  not  give  the  right  to  administer 
those  Departments,  but  was  intended  to  remove  the 
complaint  at  times  made  by  the  Commanding  General 
of  the  Army  that  when  recommendations  were  made  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  by  him  the  Chief  of  a  Bureau 
concerned  would  go  to  the  Secretary  and  urge  the  dis- 


INTRODUCTION  11 

approval  of  the  recommendation ;  while  the  actual  facts 
were  that  the  Secretary  upon  the  receipt  of  a  recom- 
mendation involving  a  disbursement  of  money,  desiring 
to  inform  himself  if  funds  were  available  to  carry  it 
out,  and  if  the  funds  could  be  used  legally  for  the 
purpose  recommended,  therefore  called  upon  the  Chief 
of  Bureau  for  report. 

The  supervision  and  control  of  the  Supply  Depart- 
ments given  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  made  it  possible  for 
him  to  adopt  such  steps  as  would  enable  him  to  be 
heard  before  decision  was  reached.  But  this  did  not 
contemplate  denying  a  Chief  of  Bureau  the  right  to 
perform  his  duty  to  the  Secretary  of  War  to  protect 
him  in  the  matter  of  the  disbursement  of  money  or  ac- 
countability of  property  for  which  he,  the  Secretary 
of  War,  was,  by  law,  solely  responsible.  Exception  was 
taken  by  a  Chief  of  Staff  to  a  Bureau  Chief  bringing 
to  the  personal  attention  of  the  Secretary  of  War  the 
fact  that  fraudulent  vouchers  were  being  forwarded  to 
his  office  for  administrative  action  and  suggesting  steps 
necessary  to  correct  such  practice. 

The  Quartermaster  Corps  was  created  by  the  Army 
reorganization  law  passed  in  August,  1912.  This  act 
also  provided  a  limitation  upon  the  number  of  General 
Staff  Officers  who  could  be  stationed  on  duty  in  Wash- 
ington ;  and  the  Congress,  evidently  convinced  that  the 
General  Staff  was  exercising  control  and  direction  over 
the  Supply  Departments  to  an  extent  not  intended  in 
the  law  of  1903  creating  the  General  Staff  and  defining 
its  duties,  placed  in  the  act  of  1912  legislation  pro- 


12  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

hibiting  the  General  Staff  from  doing  so  in  the  future. 
The  law  also  provided  that  the  Chiefs  of  the  Supply 
Departments  could  be  appointed  from  the  Army  at 
large;  but  this  legislation  was,  according  to  the  terms 
of  the  law,  not  to  apply  in  the  case  of  the  appointment 
of  the  Chief  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  until  after 
January  1,  1917.  Because  of  this  exception,  as  to 
the  Chief  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  many  members 
of  the  General  Staff  attributed  the  inspiration  of  the 
legislation  affecting  the  General  Staff  to  the  Quarter- 
master Corps,  but  such  inference  was  entirely  un- 
founded. The  fact  is,  however,  that  some  General  Staff 
officers  in  1917  felt  resentment  against  the  Quarter- 
master Corps. 

According  to  Army  Regulations  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  is  charged  with  the  duty  of  providing  means  of 
transportation  of  every  character,  either  under  contract 
or  in  kind,  which  may  be  needed  in  the  movement  of 
troops  and  material  of  war.  It  furnishes  all  public 
animals  employed  in  the  service  of  the  Army,  the  forage 
consumed  by  them,  wagons  and  all  articles  necessary 
for  their  use,  and  the  horse  equipments  for  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps.  It  furnishes  clothing,  camp  and  gar- 
rison equipage,  barracks,  storehouses,  and  other  build- 
ings; constructs  and  repairs  roads,  railways,  bridges; 
builds  and  charters  ships,  boats,  docks,  and  wharves 
needed  for  military  purposes;  supplies  subsistence  for 
enlisted  men  and  others  entitled  thereto;  supplies  ar- 
ticles for  authorized  sales  and  issues ;  furnishes  lists  of 
articles  authorized  to  be  kept  for  sale;  gives  instruc- 


INTRODUCTION  13 

tions  for  procuring,  distributing,  issuing,  selling,  and 
accounting  for  all  quartermaster  and  subsistence  sup- 
plies ;  has  charge  of  the  supply  and  distribution  of  and 
accounting  for  funds  for  the  payment  of  the  Army,  and 
such  other  financial  duties  as  are  specially  assigned  to 
it;  and  attends  to  all  matters  connected  with  military 
operations  which  are  not  expressly  assigned  to  some 
other  bureau  of  the  War  Department.  It  had  charge  of 
all  the  National  Cemeteries  in  the  country,  and  under  a 
law  enacted  in  1885,  upon  the  Quartermaster  Depart- 
ment was  imposed  the  duty  of  providing  for  the  freight 
shipments  made  by  all  of  the  Executive  Departments 
of  the  Government. 

To  carry  out  the  duties  imposed  upon  the  Quarter- 
master Corps,  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General 
was  organized,  as  follows,  and  similar  organizations 
were  established  at  Depots  and  in  the  offices  of  the 
Chief  Quartermasters  of  Departments. 

On  January  1,  1917,  just  a  few  months  before  the 
declaration  of  war,  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral was  organized  into  five  divisions,  each  of  them  sub- 
divided into  branches : 

(a)   Administrative  Division 

Administrative  Branch 

Personnel  Branch 

Estimates,  Reserve  Depots  and  National  Defense 

Act  Branch 
Contracts  Branch 
Claims  Branch 
Cemeterial  Branch 
Mail  and  Records  Branch 
Miscellaneous  Branch 


14         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

(b)  Finance  and  Accounting  Division 

Deposits  and  Allotments  Branch 
Money  Accounts  Branch 
Subsistence  Returns  Branch 
Property  Accounts  Branch 
Financial  Branch 
Apportionments  Branch 

(c)  Supplies  Division 

Supplies  Branch 

Clothing  and  Equipage  Branch 

(d)  Construction  and  Repair  Division 

Construction  Branch 
Mechanical  Branch 
Reservation  Branch 
Drafting  Branch 
Miscellaneous  Branch 

(e)  Transportation  Division 

Land  Transportation  Branch 
Water  Transportation  Branch 
Remount  Branch 
Miscellaneous  Branch 

Expansion  of  and  Changes  in  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  Due  to  War  Conditions  in  the 
Year  1917 

The  above  organization  remained  intact  until  April 
2,  1917. 

On  May  16,  1917,  by  direction  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  a  division  to  be  known  as  the  Cantonment  Division 
was  established  in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral. This  division  was  charged  with  the  construction 
of  all  the  buildings  at  the  National  Guard  and  National 
Army  Camps,  and  under  the  orders  of  the  Chief  of  the 
Division  was  to  report  direct  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
and  the  Chief  of  Staff  on  all  matters  relating  to  con- 
struction,   the   Quartermaster   General   being   charged 


INTRODUCTION  15 

with  only  the  duty  of  preparing  the  estimates  of  funds 
required  for  submission  to  Congress.  This  change  took 
from  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  all  the 
officers,  engineers,  architects  and  clerks  trained  in  the 
matter  of  construction  and  repair. 

Because  of  the  competition  resulting  from  the  various 
Supply  Departments  undertaking  construction  of  build- 
ings under  the  authority  of  law  contained  in  the  De- 
ficiency Bill,  which  law  was  at  variance  with  the  Law  of 
1912,  placing  upon  the  Quartermaster  Corps  the  duty 
of  undertaking  all  construction  for  the  Army,  and  creat- 
ing decentralization  instead  of  centralization  in  time 
of  war,  the  Secretary  of  War  on  October  5,  1917, 
directed  that  all  buildings  and  construction  rendered 
necessary  in  the  United  States  by  the  emergency  should 
be  undertaken  by  the  Cantonment  Division  above  men- 
tioned. This  Division,  as  stated,  functioned  direct  with 
the  Secretary  of  War  and  Chief  of  Staff  on  such  mat- 
ters. The  one  officer  and  few  clerks  remaining  in  the 
Construction  and  Repair  Division  were  transferred  to 
the  Cantonment  Division;  and  the  Construction  and 
Repair  Division  of  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General  was  abolished. 

On  August  15,  1917,  under  the  provisions  of  Office 
Orders  No.  76,  there  was  established  a  branch  of  the 
Supplies  Division  to  be  known  as  the  Storage  Branch. 

The  Remount  Branch  of  the  Transportation  Division 
was  abolished  on  October  3,  1917,  by  Office  Orders  No. 
100,  and  a  separate  Division  to  be  known  as  the  Re- 
mount Division  was  established.     This  Division  was 


16         THE  QUAKTEEMASTER  CORPS 

charged  with  all  the  duties  and  functions  pertaining 
to  the  Remount  Branch  and  with  the  administration 
and  supervision  of  the  Remount  Service  created  by 
General  Orders,  War  Department,  September  25,  1917. 

A  branch  of  the  Supplies  Division  to  be  known  as 
the  Conservation  Branch  was  established  on  October  5, 
1917,  per  Office  Orders  No.  102.  To  this  branch  was 
assigned  all  matters  relating  to  the  conservation  of  food 
and  other  products  at  posts,  camps,  cantonments  and 
other  stations. 

The  Personnel  Branch  of  the  Administrative  Division 
was  made  a  separate  Division  to  consist  of  the  Com- 
missioned Personnel,  Enlisted  Personnel  and  Civilian 
Personnel  Branches,  by  Office  Orders  No.  104,  October 
9,  1917. 

Followed  by  the  above  change,  a  Division  was  created 
in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  to  be  known 
as  the  "Warehousing  Division."  The  duties  performed 
by  the  Storage  Branch  and  the  Cable  Service  and  Over- 
seas Shipment  Branch  were  transferred  to  the  Ware- 
housing Division.  Office  Order  No.  109,  October  29, 
1917,  gives  in  detail  the  functions  of  the  Warehousing 
Division.  The  Conservation  Branch  of  the  Supplies 
Division  was  made  an  independent  division  of  the  office 
on  November  8,  1917,  by  Office  Orders  No.  114  to  meet 
the  increase  in  work.  On  December  14,  1917,  a  branch 
was  established  in  the  Supplies  Division  to  be  known 
as  the  Fuel  and  Forage  Branch  by  Office  Orders 
No.  126. 


II 


PERSONNEL 

Civilian     personnel — Commissioned     personnel — Enlisted     men — 
Cemeterial  branch. 

The  Civilian  Personnel  of  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  During  the  Period  of  the  World  War 
Up  to  December  31,  1917. — Some  months  before  the 
actual  declaration  of  war,  which  was  on  April  6,  1917, 
a  careful  study  was  made  of  the  status  of  the  civilian 
force  as  it  existed  in  the  Quartermaster  General's  Office, 
and  as  to  what  its  probable  requirements  for  the  future 
would  be. 

The  aim  and  plan  were  to  have  it  continue  an  efficient 
and  homogeneous  forces — one  that  would  do  the  maxi- 
mum amount  of  work  with  the  minimum  number  of 
employees.  It  was  the  intention  not  to  swell  the  num- 
ber at  any  time  beyond  the  current  and  actual  needs,  but 
only  increase  it  as  the  volume  of  the  work  increased. 

In  the  first  instance,  the  amount  of  floor  space  at  the 
disposal  of  the  office  was  limited,  being  only  sufficient 
for  the  requirements  of  the  323  employees  then  in  the 
service,  so  that  all  the  available  space  was  occupied 
when  war  was  declared.  Some  of  the  Branches  even  at 
that  time  occupied  rooms  on  the  second,  third,  fourth 

17 


18         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

and  fifth  floors  *of  the  State,  War  and  Navy  Building, 
and  one  division  in  the  Lemon  Building,  and  because 
of  this  separation  could  not  even  then  work  to  the  best 
advantage. 

Having  this  condition  in  view,  and  casting  ahead  to 
the  probable  developments  of  the  future,  a  plan  had 
been  devised  by  which  it  was  feasible  to  work  three 
shifts  of  about  seven  and  three-quarter  hours  each  for 
every  day  in  the  week,  including  holidays  and  Sundays, 
allowing  only  about  twenty  minutes  for  the  change  of 
shifts  and  cleaning  the  rooms. 

When  war  was  declared,  a  call  was  made  at  once  for 
something  over  200  clerks  and  messengers.  This  extra 
force  when  secured  was  crowded  into  the  existing  space, 
and  overtime  work  was  required  and  cheerfully  per- 
formed, nearly  all  throughout  the  office. 

From  time  to  time  additional  employees  were  re- 
quested. Much  difficulty  was  experienced  in  obtain- 
ing them  through  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  which 
was  swamped  with  calls  for  civilian  personnel.  In  the 
meantime,  the  work  was  increasing  heavily  from  day 
to  day,  necessitating,  as  stated,  universal  overtime  and 
the  hardest  work  by  the  office  force,  while  the  super- 
visory and  executive  force  were  especially  hard  hit. 
Each  call  for  more  help  was  carefully  considered,  as 
had  been  earlier  determined  upon,  so  that  only  the 
number  actually  required  would  be  provided,  and  which 
could  be  taken  care  of  and  employed  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. 

The  second  shift  was  before  long  put  on.     The  work 


PERSONNEL  10 

and  the  number  of  employees  continued  to  increase, 
with  the  result  that  in  the  rush  and  confusion  it  be- 
came harder  and  harder  to  keep  up,  or  take  care  of  the 
work,  and  especially  as  the  clerical  force  which  had 
been  so  swollen  was  composed  of  new  and  untrained 
people  who  had  to  be  instructed  and  looked  after  closely. 
But  clerks  of  any  description  were  hard  to  obtain  at 
that  time.  Many  of  them  had  barely  passed  the  Civil 
Service  Examination,  for  it  was  the  policy  to  employ 
only  those  who  had  a  Civil  Service  status — much  as  this 
policy  added  to  the  difficulty. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  experienced  and  able  clerks 
who  were  in  charge  sought  and  were  given  commissions 
in  the  Army.  Under  the  ruling  of  the  Department, 
made  about  that  time,  these  experienced  men — now 
officers — were  forbidden  to  remain  in  the  bureaus  or 
offices  where  they  had  served  as  civilians.  This  was  a 
severe  blow  and  greatly  crippled  the  office,  as  trained 
clerks  to  instruct  the  new  appointees  were  needed,  and 
furthermore  those  taken  from  the  office  were  among  its 
most  qualified  men — men  whose  long  years  of  training 
and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  work  of  the  office  were 
invaluable  and  could  not  be  replaced  as  they  were  fa- 
miliar with  the  laws,  decisions  and  precedents  and  were 
therefore  qualified  to  prepare  the  tables  of  requirements 
and  draw  up  the  estimates  for  Congress.  Reference  will 
be  made  later  to  the  embarrassment  to  the  service  caused 
by  the  assignment  of  these  men  to  duty  in  other  stations. 

Some  idea  may  be  had  of  the  volume  of  mail  when — 
on  an  exceptional  day — there  were  over  111,000  pieces 


20         THE  QTJAKTEKMASTEK  COKPS 

of  mail,  consisting  of  letters,  indorsements,  reports, 
statements,  returns,  accounts,  etc. 

It  bad  become  necessary,  owing  to  tbe  lack  of  space 
and  to  meet  exigencies,  to  put  on  another  or  tbe  tbird 
sbift  in  various  divisions  of  tbe  office.  Any  of  tbe 
trained  and  experienced  clerks  wbo  bad  remained  were 
nearly  broken  down — and  some  did  break  down — be- 
cause of  arduous  exertion  and  long  bours. 

Tbe  force  by  December  31,  1917,  bad  grown  to  nearly 
six  times  wbat  it  was  wben  war  was  declared,  or  close 
to  1,800  employees.  It  bad,  therefore,  become  neces- 
sary to  secure  office  space  in  outside  buildings.  While 
this  arrangement  was  absolutely  necessary,  it  bad  its 
drawbacks,  for  time  was  lost  and  delays  and  disad- 
vantages occasioned  because  of  tbe  wide  separation  of 
tbe  force — even  kindred  divisions  which  were  inter- 
locked and  worked  together  could  not  now  because  of 
their  size  be  kept  near  each  other.  In  this  time  of  great 
stress  and  difficulty,  when  cramped  for  space,  working 
under  pressure  for  long  hours,  and  without  sanitary 
surroundings,  the  civilian  force  labored  willingly  and 
faithfully — for  all  of  which  they  deserve  the  greatest 
credit. 

Reserve  Supply  of  Blank  Forms  and  Books  for  the 
Quartermaster  General's  Office. — Early  in  March,  1917, 
tbe  outlook  was  very  threatening,  and  danger  of  war 
was  imminent.  In  view  of  this  and  after  mature  con- 
sideration, it  was  deemed  advisable  to  provide  against 
all  eventualities  with  regard  to  the  necessary  reserve 
supply  of  blank  forms  and  books  for  use  of  troops  in 


PERSONNEL  21 

case  of  war  and  quick  mobilization  of  the  military 
forces. 

In  view  of  the  above  conditions  and  to  expedite  the 
work  and  printing  as  much  as  possible,  consultation  was 
had  with  the  officials  of  the  Government  Printing  Of- 
fice who  agreed,  after  explanation  showing  the  impor- 
tance and  urgency  of  the  work,  to  give  such  work  of  the 
Quartermaster  General's  Office  the  right  of  way.  And 
in  pursuance  of  such  understanding,  there  was  ordered 
printed  at  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington, 
D.  C,  on  March  13,  1917,  31,538,000  blank  forma  and 
books  at  a  cost  of  $235,606.36  as  a  reserve  stock  for 
the  transportation,  subsistence,  clothing  and  pay  of 
seventy  divisions — 2,000,000  men — in  addition  to  the 
immense  regular  stock  on  hand  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  Army. 

By  the  end  of  April,  1917,  the  reserve  stock  of  forms 
and  books  were  delivered  by  the  Government  Printing 
Office  and  stored  ready  for  issuance  when  called  for. 
For  the  storage  of  this  large  reserve  stock  of  blank  forms 
and  books,  20,000  square  feet  of  floor  space  was  ac- 
quired adjoining  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
Yards,  1514  Eckington  Place,  so  shipments  could  be 
handled  without  delay. 

When  orders  were  issued  to  mobilize,  each  detach- 
ment, company,  regiment  and  division  was  equipped 
with  the  necessary  forms  and  books  at  the  camps  and 
mobilization  points  to  transport,  feed,  clothe  and  pay 
the  troops  as  fast  as  they  entered  the  service.  This 
office  also  sent  a  supply  overseas  to  take  care  of  the 


22         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

troops  upon  arrival.  No  complaint  or  criticism  as  to 
delay  in  supplying  the  troops  with  the  necessary  forms 
and  books  was  received.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
this  immense  number  of  blank  forms  were  purchased 
when  no  funds  were  available  to  pay  for  them.  The 
officials  of  the  Government  Printing  Office  undertook 
the  work  with  full  knowledge  of  the  conditions  and 
with  the  understanding  that  estimates  would  be  sub- 
mitted for  the  funds.  If  they  had  been  lacking  in 
courage  or  had  failed  to  cooperate  with  the  Quarter- 
master General's  Office  serious  delays  and  difficulties 
would  have  resulted.  Acknowledgments  are  due  to 
those  officials  for  their  assistance. 

It  is  thought  that  the  work  performed  by  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  in  the  year  1917  can  best  be  described 
by  giving  an  account  of  that  performed  by  each  Division 
of  the  Office.  It  must  be  understood,  however,  that  the 
Divisions  are  coordinated  and  that  work  assigned  to 
one  Division  required  cooperation  and  assistance  from 
other  Divisions. 

PERSONNEL  DIVISION 

Commissioned  Personnel 

By  a  War  Department  Order  published  about  1912 
the  number  of  officers  authorized  to  be  detailed  for  duty 
in  the  various  Bureaus  of  the  War  Department  was 
established.  Congress  passed  an  appropriation  in  Au- 
gust, 1914,  for  the  relief  of  Americans  abroad  who  be- 
cause of  war  conditions  were  unable  to  obtain  money 


PERSONNEL  23 

to  pay  for  their  passage  home.  The  Assistant  Secretary 
of  War  was  sent  abroad  on  a  battleship  accompanied 
by  a  number  of  officers  to  provide  the  relief  afforded  by 
the  Congress  to  American  citizens.  An  officer  on  duty 
in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  had  a  few 
years  before  graduated  from  the  ficole  de  l'Intendance 
in  Paris,  and  was  detailed  to  accompany  the  Assistant 
Secretary  of  War.  Such  officer  remained  abroad  on  this 
duty  until  this  country  declared  war  on  April  6,  1917, 
being  carried  as  on  "temporary  duty  abroad"  and  still 
being  included  among  the  number  of  officers  limited 
for  duty  in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

After  the  declaration  of  war  the  enormous  increase  of 
work  necessitated  the  detail  of  another  officer  in  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  and  request  for 
such  an  assignment  was  made,  whereupon  the  attention 
of  Ihe  Quartermaster  General  was  called  to  the  order 
above  referred  to  limiting  the  number  of  officers  on  duty 
in  his  office  and  directing  that  a  statement  be  submitted 
showing  whether  the  assignment  requested  would  in- 
crease the  number  of  officers  authorized  for  duty  in  his 
office.  Explanation  was  made  that  an  officer  of  the 
Department  had  been  abroad  since  August,  1914,  re- 
ported as  on  "temporary  duty,"  whose  station  was  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  duty  in  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General ;  that  another  officer  was  needed  to 
assume  his  duties  in  the  office,  due  to  the  enormous  in- 
crease in  work,  and  that  at  the  time  the  request  was 
made  for  the  assignment  to  duty  in  the  office,  the  of- 
ficer then  abroad  was  performing  duty  under  General 


24         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Pershing's  directions.  After  the  delay  resulting  from 
all  this  correspondence,  the  detail  requested  was  finally 
made,  but  of  course  it  added  unnecessarily  to  the  work 
of  the  office:  and  such  action  does  not  evidence  the 
hearty  spirit  of  cooperation  and  assistance  which  might 
properly  be  expected  at  a  time  when  everyone  was 
endeavoring  to  assist  in  preparing  the  country  for  war. 
The  Quartermaster  General,  by  an  office  order,  con- 
stituted a  Board  of  Officers,  from  the  officers  on  duty 
in  his  office,  to  consider  matters  affecting  the  Quarter- 
master Corps.  This  Board  gave  consideration  to  our 
experiences  on  the  Mexican  border  in  1916,  and  also 
made  a  thorough  study  of  the  various  reports  of  the 
Military  attaches  and  others  regarding  the  war  then 
being  waged  in  Europe,  and  submitted  a  very  thorough 
and  comprehensive  study  for  the  proper  organization 
of  the  Quartermaster  Corps.  The  Board  recommended 
the  formation  of  Quartermaster  organizations  then  not 
in  existence  or  heard  of  in  our  Army,  but  every  one  of 
which  were  brought  into  existence  before  the  termina- 
tion of  the  war.  This  report  was  submitted  to  the 
General  Staff  for  approval  in  December,  1916,  but 
although  frequent  efforts  were  made,  no  action  was 
ever  obtained  upon  it.  This  failure  caused  considerable 
delay,  as  the  creation  of  a  new  organization  had  to 
await  a  call  for  it  from  General  Pershing,  which  call 
was  based,  of  course,  on  a  study  of  the  English  and 
French  organizations ;  a  study  already  made  by  the 
Board,  not  with  so  complete  data  as  was  available 
abroad.     The  practical  correctness  of  this  study  was 


PERSONNEL  25 

demonstrated  after  our  entrance  in  the  war  when  the 
Quartermaster  General  received  the  assignment  for 
duty  in  his  office  of  two  officers  belonging  to  the  De- 
partment of  the  Quartermaster  General  for  the  Forces 
of  the  British  Army,  of  an  officer  of  the  Corps  de  l'ln- 
tendance,  and  also  an  officer  of  Engineers  of  the  French 
Army.  All  of  these  officers  had  served  in  the  field 
during  the  war  and  their  selection  would  indicate  that 
their  own  governments  reposed  confidence  in  their 
ability  and  felt  that  their  practical  experience  for 
nearly  three  years  of  war,  not  considering  their  other 
long  years  of  service,  would  enable  them  to  be  of 
great  assistance  to  us  in  our  preparations ;  which  they 
were.  But  unfortunately  approval  of  the  establish- 
ment of  new  organizations  had  to  await  the  call  for  them 
and  therefore  they  were  not  ready  to  be  dispatched  when 
called  for.  The  further  fact  that  the  shipping  of 
troops  abroad  commenced  about  nine  months  before  the 
original  programme  contemplated  doing  so,  indicates 
the  advantages  which  would  have  been  received  by  the 
early  approval  of  the  report  of  the  Board  submitted  in 
December,  1916. 

Organizations  of  the  Reserve  Officers  were  effected  at 
various  places  throughout  the  country  and  officers  and 
non-commissioned  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Depart- 
ment instructed  them  in  their  duties  by  courses  of  lec- 
tures and  practical  instruction  in  the  business  methods 
of  the  Department.  The  English  and  French  officers  on 
duty  in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  ably 
assisted  by  delivering  lectures,  based  upon  their  expert- 


26  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ence,  before  the  Reserve  Officers  in  Washington,  and 
also  delivered  lectures  to  the  students  in  the  Quarter- 
master Training  School  at  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnstone, 
near  Jacksonville,  Florida. 

Business  men  in  various  cities  arranged  with  officers 
and  non-commissioned  officers  for  courses  of  instruction 
in  the  business  methods  of  the  Department  to  prepare 
themselves  to  take  the  examination  for  Commission  in 
the  Quartermaster  Corps. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  World  War,  the 
National  Defence  Act  of  June  3,  1916,  had  only 
partially  gone  into  effect.  That  Act  increased  the  exist- 
ing number  of  officers  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  num- 
bering 113  by  183,  making  a  total  allowance  for  the 
Corps  of  296,  exclusive  of  the  67  second  lieutenants 
commissioned  as  such  from  the  former  pay  clerks  of  the 
Army. 

The  law  provided  that  the  183  additional  officers  be 
added  in  five  increments;  one  increment  each  year  be- 
ginning with  1916,  or  an  annual  increase  of  36  officers. 
Due  to  the  threatening  situation,  the  proviso  of  the 
National  Defense  Act  authorizing  the  addition  of  all 
five  increments  in  case  of  an  emergency,  had  been  made 
operative  by  Executive  Order,  so  that  on  April  6th, 
the  day  the  country  entered  the  War,  the  Corps  con- 
sisted of  205  officers,  91  short  of  its  total  number.  This 
205  was  composed  of  two  groups  of  officers,  55  belong- 
ing to  the  permanent  Quartermaster  Corps  and  150  to 
the  line,  the  latter  detailed  for  duty  under  the  Army 
Reorganization  Act  of  1901  for  a  period  of  four  years. 


PERSONNEL  27 

It  is  necessary  at  this  point  to  refer  to  the  detail 
system  in  certain  of  the  Staff  Departments  instituted 
by  the  Army  Reorganization  Act  of  1901.  Prior  to  that 
time,  for  a  number  of  years  and  following  the  Civil 
War,  the  officers  of  the  Staff  Departments  had  been 
permanently  appointed.  The  method  of  their  selection 
was  vicious  and  largely  due  to  influence;  but  this  was 
eliminated  in  some  Departments  and  could  very  readily 
be  extended  to  all  so  as  to  make  it  possible  to  secure 
capable,  energetic  and  progressive  officers,  trained  and 
expert  in  their  several  specialties.  Their  appointment 
was  also  for  life  and  with  promotion  by  seniority  the 
attainment  of  rank  was  assured  before  retirement.  It 
was  a  vicious  system  and  should  have  been  corrected. 
Unfortunately  during  the  Spanish  War  a  large  number 
of  permanent  Staff  officers  secured  commissions  in  the 
Volunteers  with  high  rank.  Every  officer,  except  one, 
in  a  certain  Staff  Department,  received  a  volunteer 
commission  in  the  line.  Thus  they  secured  advance- 
ment and  rank  to  which  line  officers  were  fairly  entitled. 
Our  so-called  Military  policy  had  been  to  create  a  larger 
staff  than  required  in  time  of  peace,  so  that  when  the 
Army  was  expanded  in  time  of  war  trained  staff 
officers  would  be  available.  To  appoint  such  trained 
officers  in  the  line  disregards  their  value  to  the  service, 
as  also  the  right  of  line  officers  to  such  advanced  rank. 
Such  appointments  naturally  caused  resentment  in  the 
line  of  the  Army  and  the  detail  system  was  proposed 
as  a  corrective.  If  the  law  had  limited  the  detail  to  the 
lower  grades,  and  then  provided  for  a  competitive  ex- 


28         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

animation  for  permanent  appointment  in  the  Corps,  and 
made  such  permanent  appointees  ineligible  for  appoint- 
ment in  the  line  of  the  Army,  the  many  evils  existing 
would  have  been  eradicated  and  the  Staff  Departments 
would  not  have  been  crippled  as  they  were  during  the 
largest  and  most  serious  war  in  which  the  country  has 
ever  been  engaged,  by  withdrawing  from  them  at  a 
critical  time  the  detail  men  and  assigning  them  to  the 
line  with  higher  rank. 

The  Quartermaster  General  called  the  attention  of 
the  Chief  of  Staff  to  this  detachment  of  the  detailed 
officers  in  his  Department,  and  to  the  billions  of  dollars 
then  appropriated  for  the  use  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  and  the  very  small  number  of  trained  officers 
remaining  to  do  the  work  and  protect  the  government 
funds  and  property.  An  officer  of  the  British  General 
Staff,  on  learning  of  the  detail  system,  expressed  sur- 
prise and  amazement  to  the  Quartermaster  General, 
saying  that  Americans  were  noted  as  being  practical 
men  and  inquired  if  they  did  not  realize  that  the  war 
was  one  of  experts  and  specialists. 

In  the  former  Subsistence  Department  a  course  of 
training  was  adopted  for  the  officers  when  appointed 
therein,  consisting  of  a  course  at  the  Bureau  of  Chem- 
istry, Department  of  Agriculture  in  qualitative  anal- 
ysis of  food  products,  the  study  of  butter  and  fats,  the 
use  of  the  microscope  and  the  saccharometer,  followed 
by  a  course  in  packing  of  meat  food  products,  next  a 
detail  at  one  of  the  large  purchasing  stations,  followed 
by  a  course  at  the  School  for  Bakers  and  Cooks.     This 


PERSONNEL  29 

required  about  four  years.  The  detailed  officers  could 
not  be  given  this  full  course  because  of  the  time  re- 
quired, but  were  sent  to  take  the  course  at  the  School 
for  Bakers  and  Cooks,  and  were  thus  enabled  upon  the 
termination  of  their  detail  to  return  to  the  line  better 
qualified  to  supervise  the  messing  arrangements  of  their 
companies. 

In  addition  to  the  officers  of  the  permanent  establish- 
ment, the  National  Defense  Act  also  established  the 
Officers'  Reserve  Corps.  The  Reserve  Corps  was  in- 
tended to  supplement  the  Regular  Army  during  periods 
of  emergency  expansion,  and  was  designed  so  that 
officers  could  be  selected,  commissioned  and  available 
for  call  to  active  duty  when  the  exigencies  of  the  service 
demanded.  The  examination  and  selection  of  candidates 
had  progressed  leisurely  and  methodically  until  we 
entered  the  War,  when,  under  the  impetus  of  possible 
service,  applications  poured  in  from  all  over  the  coun- 
try and  the  various  parts  of  the  world.  The  regulations 
controlling  the  procedure  for  admission  to  the  Reserve 
Corps  were  not  suitable  to  emergency  conditions,  yet 
had  to  be  followed  in  the  absence  of  any  suitable  substi- 
tute therefor  or  any  abbreviated  system  which  could 
be  followed.  This  created  a  deplorable  congestion  of 
paper  work,  causing  long  delays  before  an  actual  com- 
mission could  be  issued  a  candidate  and  make  him 
legally  available  for  active  duty.  The  work  of  examin- 
ing candidates;  preparing  the  necessary  papers;  and 
routing  the  reports  through  the  numerous  channels 
only  added  to  the  labors,  already  heavy,  imposed  on  the 


30         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

regular  officers  in  the  Corps.  The  earliest  boards  ap- 
pointed to  make  selections  of  Reserve  Corps  Officers 
were  convened  in  September,  1916,  and  up  to  April  12, 
1917,  had  succeeded  in  passing  upon  436  successful 
cases,  with  the  major  part  of  these  rushed  through  by 
local  boards  at  the  last  moment,  and  requiring  review  by 
different  agencies  in  the  War  Department. 

The  volume  of  applications  grew  so  large  that  it  was 
necessary  to  close  the  list  to  all  received  after  April 
1 1th  and,  on  checking  up  those  received  before  the  list 
closed,  there  were  on  April  12,  1917,  4,930  cases  of  rec- 
ord requiring  action.  Applications  subsequently  received 
were  returned  to  writers  advising  them  that  the  list 
was  closed  and  no  more  requests  would  be  entertained. 

On  July  1,  1917,  the  status  of  the  Reserve  Corps 
showed  1,700  officers  actually  commissioned  and  avail- 
able for  call  to  active  duty;  400  cases  completed  and 
awaiting  the  issuance  of  commissions  by  the  Adjutant 
General's  Office,  with  3,266  cases  yet  to  be  heard  from 
or  requiring  revision  or  correction  of  some  part  of  the 
examining  board's  record. 

On  July  15th  the  Reserve  Officers  available  for  call 
to  active  duty  were  being  ordered  to  stations,  camps, 
depots,  ports  of  embarkation,  France,  and  other  duties 
at  an  average  rate  of  twenty  to  thirty  per  day,  so  that 
by  August  1st  the  available  list  was  nearly  exhausted 
and  the  supply  through  the  examination  routine  could 
not  meet  the  demand.  Because  of  the  enormous  amount 
of  work  placed  upon  the  officers  of  the  Corps  in  con- 
ducting the  examinations  for  commissions  in  the  Officers 


PERSONNEL  31 

Reserve  Corps,  and  in  examining  and  passing  upon  the 
various  reports  of  the  Examining  Boards,  the  Quarter- 
master General,  about  June  1st  requested  two  hundred 
men  from  each  of  the  Officers  Training  Camps  who 
failed  to  qualify  for  line  commissions  be  assigned  to 
the  Quartermaster  Corps,  At  the  same  time  it  was 
purposed  to  establish  a  Quartermaster  training  camp 
and  to  send  the  men  from  the  Officers  Training  Camps 
to  qualify  them  by  a  course  of  instruction  for  the  vari- 
ous duties  devolved  upon  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 
This  school  was  also  to  be  used  to  train  the  enlisted 
men  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  some  of  their  duties. 
At  the  time  the  request  for  the  men  from  the  Officers 
Training  Camps  was  made,  it  was  contemplated  to  re- 
ceive authority  to  establish  the  training  camp,  have  the 
location  selected  and  the  camp  constructed  by  the  time 
the  Officers  Training  Camps  completed  the  course  of  in- 
struction, some  time  about  the  close  of  August,  The 
men  would  then  go  at  once  to  the  Quartermaster  Train- 
ing Camp,  and  after  the  course  there  would  be  available 
for  assignment  to  duty.  The  following  letter  was  pre- 
pared and  forwarded  on  the  date  indicated: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  of  the  Army, 

No.  3 5 4. 1. P.  Washington,  June  8,  1917. 

From :  Quartermaster  General. 

To :  The  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army. 

Subject:  Mobilization   and   Training   Camp,   Quarter- 
master Corps  Personnel. 


32  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

1.  In  the  future  the  Quartermaster  Corps  will  be 
confronted  with  the  problem  of  supplying  various  or- 
ganizations and  individuals  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
to  divisions  and  other  formations  ordered  for  duty 
abroad  or  to  be  established  abroad,  such  as  division 
supply  and  ammunition  trains,  remount  depots,  supply 
depots,  transport  workers,  battalions,  bakery  companies, 
wagon  companies,  pack  companies,  repair  shops  for 
clothing,  shoes,  harness,  wood  and  metal  articles  of 
equipment,  laundry  and  cleaning  establishments,  supply 
companies  Quartermaster  Corps,  labor  and  salvage  com- 
panies, and  possibly  various  other  units. 

2.  Authority  has  been  obtained  to  enlist  approx- 
imately 16,000  enlisted  men  Quartermaster  Enlisted 
Reserve  Corps,  and  additional  authority  was  requested 
on  May  26  to  increase  this  number  to  45,000  enlisted 
men.  It  is  anticipated  that  this  last  number  will  have 
to  be  doubled  within  eight  months. 

3.  In  order  to  have  these  men  undergo  training  and 
to  have  a  definite  place  of  mobilization,  keeping  in 
mind  the  desirability  of  a  mild  climate  and  nearness  to 
the  eastern  seaboard,  it  is  believed  a  Quartermaster 
Corps  training  and  mobilization  camp  should  be  estab- 
lished on  a  large  scale  in  the  southern  part  of  the  East- 
ern Department,  preferably  in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond 
or  Newport  News,  Va.,  where  various  Quartermaster 
Corps  organizations  could  be  mobilized  as  rapidly  as 
enlisted  and  given  such  preliminary  training  as  possible 
before  their  services  are  needed  at  division  camps  in 
this  country,  or  with  formations  sent  or  created  abroad. 

4.  It  is  understood  that  camps  similar  to  the  above 
have  been  authorized  for  the  Medical  Department,  the 
Signal  Corps  and  the  Engineer  Corps. 

5.  Such  a  camp  should  be  in  addition  to  the  division 


PERSONNEL  33 

camps  and  should  be  large  enough  to  accommodate  an 
average  daily  strength  passing  through  the  camp,  vary- 
ing from  10,000  to  20,000  enlisted  men  and  approx- 
imately 300  officers  in  charge  of  the  camp  and  in  com- 
mand of  the  reserve  organizations  therein. 

6.  It  is  believed  one  such  Quartermaster  mobiliza- 
tion and  training  camp  will  be  more  economical,  more 
efficient  for  the  purpose  in  view  and  in  every  other  way 
more  desirable  than  Quartermaster  camps  as  separate 
adjuncts  to  the  sixteen  division  area  training  camps. 
Only  such  personnel  and  equipment  as  would  be  re- 
quired to  handle  the  routine  affairs  of  the  latter  camps 
and  enable  the  divisions  passing  through  them  to  be 
trained  as  a  complete  unit  would  probably  be  furnished 
such  camps. 

7.  The  prompt  establishment  of  such  camp  is  con- 
sidered necessary  now  in  order  to  organize  properly  a 
system  of  replacements  and  of  furnishing  in  the  first 
instance  trained  Quartermaster  Corps  units  to  the  vari- 
ous divisions,  as  the  latter  are  made  ready  and  ordered 
for  duty  abroad,  as  well  as  to  furnish  numerous  special 
and  technical  units  for  the  service    of  the  rear  abroad. 

8.  It  is  estimated  the  acreage  required  for  such 
camp  would  be  approximately  2,000  acres  and  prac- 
tically the  same  conditions  as  were  laid  down  for  the 
cantonment  camps  for  the  sixteen  training  divisions 
should  govern  the  location  of  this  camp  in  respect  to 
transportation  facilities,  water  and  nature  of  soil.  It 
is  estimated  the  cost  would  be  about  $4,000,000,  and  it 
would  be  desirable  to  lease  the  site  for  at  least  three 
years  with  an  option  to  purchase  same  at  any  time  be- 
fore the  expiration  of  the  lease,  should  later  events  show 
complete  ownership  to  be  desirable.  No  tentage  is 
available. 

9.  Authority  is  therefore  requested  for  this  office 


34         THE  QUAKTEKMASTER  CORPS 

to  submit  a  special  estimate  for  the  necessary  funds  to 
cover  the  lease,  the  camp  site  and  to  erect  the  necessary 
buildings,  roads  and  structures  thereon  to  carry  out  the 
above  plan. 

10.  In  compliance  with  (W.C.D.  6,277-166)  in- 
structions from  the  Adjutant  General's  Office,  dated 
June  3,  1917,  the  above  plan  has  been  considered  after 
informal  conference  by  an  officer  of  this  office  with 
Major  Kingman,  War  College  Division  of  the  General 
Staff. 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General. 

Nearly  a  month  elapsed  before  this  request  was  ap- 
proved. Upon  receiving  notice  of  the  approval,  request 
was  immediately  made  for  the  location  of  the  camp  at 
Manassas,  Va.  The  matter  was  held  in  abeyance  for 
some  time,  as  the  General  Staff  officer  to  whom  it  had 
been  referred  was  inclined  to  reconsider  the  question  as 
to  the  desirability  of  authorizing  the  establishment  of 
the  camp.  His  attention  was  drawn  to  the  fact  of  the 
approval  by  the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  project,  after 
full  consideration.  On  July  20,  1917,  a  Board  of 
Officers  was  appointed  to  select  the  location  of  the  camp 
and  the  Cantonment  Division  was  prepared  to  under- 
take the  construction.  By  direction  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  an  officer  was  sent  on  August  1st  to  inspect  a 
camp  site  at  Jacksonville,  Florida.  The  selection  of 
the  Jacksonville  camp  site  was  approved  on  August  9, 
1917.  A  long  delay  next  ensued  in  awarding  the  con- 
tract for  the  construction  of  the  camp  due  to  the  fact 
that  an  effort  was  made  to  have  the  contract  awarded  to 


PERSONNEL  35 

a  local  firm  instead  of  the  firm  selected  by  the  War  De- 
partment. The  result  was  that  the  construction  of  the 
camp  was  not  started  until  about  the  1st  of  September. 
When  request  for  authority  to  establish  the  camp  was 
made,  it  was  fully  and  reasonably  expected  that  it  would 
be  ready  for  occupancy  about  September  1st,  and  the 
men  coming  from  the  Officers  Training  Camps  could 
be  ordered  there  for  necessary  instruction.  This  was 
not  the  case,  due  to  the  delay  above  cited,  and  the  camp 
was  not  completed  until  some  time  in  November,  1917. 
This  is  an  important  fact  to  remember,  for  when  the 
Quartermaster  General  made  application  for  authority 
to  appoint  some  technical  officers,  the  application  would 
be  returned  for  information  why  the  officers  were  not 
selected  from  the  3,045  men  who  graduated  from  the 
Schools.  As  a  class,  these  were  a  fine  lot  of  men,  and 
many  excellent  officers  were  later  developed  from  among 
the  number. 

If  a  suitable  steel  for  rifle  barrels  is  supplied,  is  it 
fair  and  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  finished  barrels, 
with  the  accurate  rifling,  can  be  produced  without  the 
necessary  machinery  ? 

On  page  41  of  his  book  entitled  "America's  Eace  to 
Victory,"  Lieut.  Colonel  Eequin  asks :  "Was  it  neces- 
sary to  wait  three  months  before  opening  an  artillery 
school  in  the  United  States?"  and  adds:  "Evidently 
not."  He  continues:  "We  shall  conclude  by  saying: 
'That  if  it  was  justifiable  to  await  General  Pershing's 
recommendations  and  to  follow  them  scrupulously  in 
everything  concerning  general   plans   of  organization, 


36         THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 

training  and  transportation,  it  would  have  been  prefer- 
able to  take  day  by  day  and  without  delay  such  meas- 
ures as  must  in  any  case  aid  in  the  execution  of  these 
plans,  relieve  the  crushing  burden  of  the  Commander  in 
Chief  of  the  Expeditionary  Forces,  and  lastly,  save 
precious  time.'  " 

The  National  Defense  Act  of  June  3,  1916,  created  a 
Reserve  Officers  Corps.  Many  of  the  most  efficient  and 
valuable  clerks  in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral, men  who  for  years  had  satisfactorily  filled  the  im- 
portant positions  of  principal  clerks  of  Divisions  and 
Branches,  took  the  examinations  and  qualified  for  com- 
missions in  the  Quartermaster's  Officers  Reserve  Corps. 
It  was  the  intention  of  the  Quartermaster  General  to 
call  these  men  into  service  and  assign  them  for  duty 
in  his  office  in  charge  of  the  Divisions  and  Branches 
with  the  work  of  which  they  were  entirely  familiar, 
being  informed  concerning  the  various  laws,  decisions 
and  precedents  relating  to  same.  This  plan  would  have 
provided  the  trained  officers  for  the  several  shifts  of 
clerks  which  were  necessary  to  transact  the  rapidly  in- 
creasing business. 

It  is  necessary  to  explain  that  with  the  exception  of 
the  Insular,  Militia  and  Coast  Artillery  Bureaus  all 
Bureau  Chiefs  having  any  correspondence  with  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  or  Chief  of  Staff  must  address  the  corre- 
spondence to  the  Adjutant  General,  and  that  officer 
presents  it  for  consideration.  The  Bureau  Chief  can, 
of  course,  see  either  of  these  officials  personally  about  a 
matter  pertaining  to  his  own  specific  duties.     Would  it 


PERSONNEL  37 

be  considered  good  administration  for  the  President  or 
General  Manager  of  a  railroad  to  require  his  Chief 
Engineer,  General  Superintendent,  General  Freight 
Manager,  General  Traffic  Manager,  Superintendent  of 
Motive  Power  or  Treasurer  to  address  all  matters  per- 
taining to  their  several  departments  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  railroad  and  have  the  latter  present  them  for  con- 
sideration? Effort  has  been  made  in  the  past  without 
avail  to  have  this  unbusinesslike  method  changed.  The 
adoption  of  this  form  of  procedure  necessarily  throws 
an  immense  amount  of  work  on  the  Adjutant  General's 
Office  and  is  persisted  in  under  the  claim  that  his  is  an 
office  of  record.  It  is,  for  the  matters  which  under  the 
law  it  is  charged  with,  but  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  is  the  office  of  record  for  everything,  ex- 
cept personnel,  pertaining  to  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 
An  officer  desiring  a  certificate  of  non-indebtedness  ob- 
tains same  from  the  Quartermaster  General,  which  of- 
ficial also  passes  upon  his  financial  and  property  re- 
sponsibility and  keeps  accounts  of  all  the  funds  appro- 
priated by  Congress  for  the  Corps,  and  makes  cer- 
tificates to  the  courts  as  to  the  records  shown  by  his 
office  in  any  case  before  the  courts.  To  effect  the  call 
of  these  Reserve  Officers  to  active  duty  and  receive  their 
assignment  for  duty  in  his  office  the  Quartermaster 
General  made  application  to  the  Adjutant  General  some 
time  in  May.  The  application  was  returned  disap- 
proved, and  after  seeing  the  Secretary  of  War  the  re- 
quest for  assignment  was  returned  asking  for  a  reconsid- 
eration ;  it  was  again  returned  from  General  Bliss,  the 


38         THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 

Acting  Chief  of  Staff,  disapproved;  and  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  Secretary  was  submitted  again  for  reconsid- 
eration and  was  returned  disapproved,  the  Acting  Chief 
of  Staff  taking  the  position  that  to  approve  would  create 
criticism  of  the  War  Department,  as  of  two  Civil  Serv- 
ice men  living  in  adjoining  houses  in  Washington  one 
would  be  given  a  Commission  and  the  other  not.  It  was 
shown  that  both  could  obtain  them  if  they  passed  the 
examination  and  their  assignment  to  a  station  would 
depend  upon  their  ability  to  perform  the  duties  of 
same.  The  submission  of  this  application  through  the 
Adjutant  General  was  proper  because  it  related  to  a 
personnel  matter  and  that  department  is  an  office  of 
record  for  such  matters.  The  Adjutant  General,  in  sub- 
mitting the  application  for  the  consideration  of  the 
Chief  of  Staff,  forwarded  to  him  a  memorandum  on  the 
subject,  which  stated  in  effect  that  to  approve  the  ap- 
plication would  be  the  cause  of  dissatisfaction  among 
those  clerks  in  his  (the  Adjutant  General's)  office  who 
were  superannuated  and  physically  disqualified  for 
commissions  and  recommended  that  the  men  when  com- 
missioned be  assigned  to  other  stations  and  men  at  those 
stations  ordered  to  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral. This  was  shown  by  a  memorandum  from  the  Ad- 
jutant General  to  the  Chief  of  Staff,  a  copy  of  which 
had,  probably,  inadvertently  been  left  at  the  Mail  and 
Record  Room  of  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral. It  is  understood  that  the  clerks  in  the  Adjutant 
General's  Office  were  not  allowed  to  be  given  commis- 
sions in  the  Officers'  Reserve  Corps  of  that  Department. 


PERSONNEL  39 

A  number  of  the  highly  qualified  clerks  in  the  Adju- 
tant General's  office  had  passed  the  examinations  and 
been  given  commissions  as  Reserve  Officers  of  the  Quar- 
termaster's Corps,  but  there  was  never  any  thought  or 
intention  of  requesting  their  assignment  to  duty  in  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General.  They  were  all  or- 
dered to  other  stations  and  later  one  or  more  of  them 
was  returned  to  Washington  for  duty  in  the  Adjutant 
General's  Department.  The  Secretary  of  War  agreed 
as  to  the  impropriety  of  the  memorandum  of  the  Ad- 
jutant General  as  it  affected  the  office  administration 
and  responsibility  of  another  Bureau  Chief  and  was  a 
matter  which  concerned  only  that  Bureau  Chief  and  the 
Secretary  of  War.  But,  as  stated,  the  request  for  re- 
consideration was  returned  by  General  Bliss,  the  Acting 
Chief  of  Staff  adhering  to  the  previous  action  of  dis- 
approval. 

A  decision  was  then  made  that  any  Civil  Service  Em- 
ployees or  enlisted  men,  when  given  commissions  as  Re- 
serve Officers  and  called  to  active  duty,  must  be  sent  to 
some  other  station  than  the  one  they  were  at  when 
called  into  service.  This  decision  necessitated  the  as- 
signment of  all  these  valuable  and  highly  efficient  of- 
ficers to  other  stations  and  deprived  the  office  of  their 
assistance  at  a  most  critical  time.  In  passing,  it  need 
only  be  noted  that  in  January,  1918,  nearly  all  of  them 
were,  upon  the  request  of  the  then  Acting  Quarter- 
master General,  assigned  to  duty  in  his  office. 

About  August  15th,  the  first  officers  training  camps, 
fourteen  in  number,  concluded  their  work,  and  from 


40         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

these   camps    3,045    second   lieutenants   were    commis- 
sioned in  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 

The  list  of  Reserve  Corps  Officers  and  the  3,045 
second  lieutenants  commissioned  at  the  training  camps 
contained  many  able  business  men,  experienced  in  their 
own  lines  of  business ;  but  there  were  very  few  who 
possessed  any  knowledge  whatsoever  of  the  Army,  its 
needs,  requirements,  etc.  This  lack  of  knowledge  made 
it  necessary  to  place  at  least  90  per  cent,  of  the  civilian 
officers  called  to  duty  in  subordinate  positions  where 
they  might  learn  how  best  to  apply  their  individual 
ability  to  the  numerous  duties  and  functions  of  the 
Corps  and  subsequently  rise  to  executive  positions. 
The  other  10  per  cent,  of  so-called  civilian  officers  came 
from  the  former  Quartermaster  Sergeants  and  clerks 
of  the  Quartermaster  Corps.  These  men  had  the  army 
technique  but  in  a  large  number  of  cases  lacked  the 
executive  perspective  necessary  for  the  period  of  ex- 
pansion and  ever  increasing  responsibilities.  To  leaven 
this  group  of  officers,  nearly  7,000,  a  small  coterie  of 
regular  officers,  amounting  at  no  time  to  more  than 
180  to  190,  were  available  and  these  were  scattered 
from  the  Philippines  to  France,  with  the  majority 
of  the  line  officers  detailed  to  the  Corps  impatient  to 
get  back  to  duty  with  troops. 

With  the  creation  of  the  first  sixteen  National  Army 
divisions  August,  1917,  66  officers  of  the  Regular  Army 
then  with  the  Corps  (22  per  cent.)  were  removed  from 
the  Corps  and  assigned  to  duty  with  combatant  troops, 
leaving  overnight  the  duties  they  were  engaged  upon, 


PEKSONKEL  41 

in  the  hands  of  inexperienced  or  subordinate  officers — 
in  some  cases  to  non-commissioned  officers.  Many  of 
the  officers  so  transferred  to  line  troops  were  perform- 
ing duties  of  great  importance,  and  their  departure 
created  delay  and  confusion  which  impeded  the  trans- 
action of  urgent  public  business  to  the  detriment  of  the 
service  until  successors  could  gather  together  the  loose 
ends  and  readjust  matters. 

Foreseeing  the  natural  desire  of  line  officers  to  return 
to  the  line,  many  efforts  were  made  to  have  the  situa- 
tion of  the  Corps  appreciated  and  to  secure  authority 
for  a  normally  expanding  organization,  balanced  both 
as  regards  the  number  of  officers  as  well  as  to  an 
equitable  adjustment  of  rank.  It  was  fully  recognized 
by  the  Quartermaster  General  that  in  order  to  hold  the 
line  officers  they  must  be  assured  of  equal  opportunities 
of  advancement  in  rank  with  their  contemporaries,  and 
also  that,  in  justice  to  civilian  officers,  their  opportuni- 
ties for  advanced  rank  should  not  be  less  than  that  ac- 
corded officers  going  to  line  regiments  and  duties. 

With  this  in  view,  a  board  of  officers  was  convened 
in  June,  1917,  in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral to  consider  the  matter,  and  on  August  8th  a  mem- 
orandum was  sent  to  the  Chief  of  Staff,  recommending 
that  an  elastic  and  automatic  allowance  of  officers  be 
authorized  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  both  as  a 
necessity  for  the  good  of  the  service  and  as  a  matter  of 
expediency  to  overcome  delays  incident  to  separate  and 
formal  requests  when  new  activities  demanded  ad- 
ditional officers.     It  had  been  found  that  needless  delay 


42         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

was  invariably  experienced  by  submitting  each  situa- 
tion separately  for  consideration  and  approval  by  the 
General  Staff,  which  was  then  greatly  over-worked. 
The  recommendation  submitted  was  based  on  an  esti- 
mated requirements  of  six  officers — for  each  1,000  en- 
listed men  in  the  service.  The  recommendation  is  re- 
corded as  having  been  received  at  the  War  College 
Division  of  the  General  Staff  on  August  10th. 

On  September  5th  a  Board  of  Officers  was  convened 
in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  to  consider 
the  subject  of  expansion  of  commissioned  personnel  in 
the  Quartermaster  Corps.  That  board  was  convened  in 
compliance  with  a  memorandum  issued  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  dated  September  3,  1917,  which  directed 
that  a  memorandum  be  submitted  for  such  additional 
legislation  as  might  be  considered  necessary  to  properly 
strengthen  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  for  the  ef- 
ficient operation  of  the  War  Department  during  the 
War.  The  Board  having  cognizance  of  the  recom- 
mendations submitted  August  8,  1917,  made  a  formal 
recommendation  September  10,  1917,  that  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  consist  of  the  following  number  of 
officers:  235  Colonels,  235  Lieutenant  Colonels,  705 
Majors,  3,525  Captains,  3,760  First  Lieutenants,  3,525 
Second  Lieutenants,  a  total  of  11,985. 

At  the  same  time  the  Board  prepared  and  submitted 
a  draft  of  a  bill  which  would  provide  an  elastic  au- 
thority for  progressive  expansion  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  capable  of  meeting  any  condition  likely  to  arise 
during  the  war.    The  estimate  submitted,  shown  above, 


PERSONNEL  43 

was  based  on  the  supposition  that  an  Army  of  two 
million  men  would  he  organized. 

No  definite  results  were  accomplished  by  the  fore- 
going, and  the  first  real  authorization  for  an  expanded 
personnel  was  on  December  27,  1917,  when  a  mem- 
orandum was  issued  in  the  Office  of  the  Chief  of  Staff 
authorizing  the  Quartermaster  Corps  to  expand  to 
6,651  officers.  This  was  the  net  result  of  all  efforts 
made  to  secure  a  properly  balanced  program  whereby 
logical  expansion  could  be  conducted  without  discour- 
aging delays  or  by  submitting  each  requirement  as  it 
developed  to  the  General  Staff  for  consideration. 

Had  the  recommendations  of  either  August  8th  or 
September  10,  1917,  been  approved,  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  would  have  expanded  normally  and  rationally  to 
approximately  12,000  officers  for  an  Army  of  two  mil- 
lion men.  In  the  light  of  our  full  experience,  this 
number  would  have  been  about  the  normal  had  all  the 
pre-war  functions  of  the  Quartermaster  General  re- 
mained within  that  Department  and  not  been  trans- 
ferred or  converted  into  separate  organizations.  The 
soundness  of  those  two  recommendations  above  is  sup- 
ported by  the  fact  that  on  November  11,  1918,  the  date 
of  the  Armistice,  there  were  13,949  officers  on  duty  in 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  many 
of  its  pre-war  functions  had  been  taken  away  from  it 
and  absorbed  in  other  Departments.  (See  Report  of 
Quartermaster  General,  1919,  page  171.) 

Had  the  Quartermaster  Corps  retained  all  of  its 
functions  it  seems  reasonable  to  assume  that  they  would 


44        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

have  found  it  necessary  to  have  had  approximately 
24,000  officers  at  the  time  the  Armistice  was  signed,  or 
the  equivalent  of  the  estimate  made  on  August  8,  1917. 

The  total  authorized  strength  for  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  on  November  11,  1918,  was  19,949  (see  Report 
of  Quartermaster  General,  page  172),  but  this  was  the 
result  of  a  long,  tedious  up-hill  climb,  authority  com- 
ing piecemeal  and  with  each  advance  dragging  the  work 
along,  awaiting  official  sanction. 

In  addition  to  the  efforts  made  to  secure  a  reasonably 
balanced  organization,  special  efforts  were  made  to 
secure  advancement  for  the  second  lieutenants  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps.  These  officers  were  formerly  pay 
clerks  and  had  been  appointed  second  lieutenants  in 
1916,  the  grade  of  second  lieutenant  being  the  high- 
est grade  they  could  attain  under  the  laws  governing 
the  regular  establishment. 

On  July  23,  1917,  the  Quartermaster  General  recom- 
mended the  appointment  of  all  pay  clerks,  second  lieu- 
tenants, Quartermaster  Corps,  to  the  grade  of  Captain. 
These  officers  were  the  bext  experts  in  the  Army  on 
Finance  Accounting.  Due  to  the  rapidly  increasing 
responsibility  in  that  branch  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  these  officers  were  disbursing  large  sums  of  money 
and  giving  their  undivided  attention  to  their  work  with- 
out commensurate  rank.  The  recommendation  was  re- 
turned stating  that  the  Quartermaster  General  could 
nominate  32  of  the  second  lieutenants  for  the  grade  of 
captain  and  that  these  upon  advancement  would  have 
to  serve  in  the  sixteen  National  Army  Divisions  as 


PERSONNEL  45 

assistants  to  the  Division  Quartermasters;  the  Tables 
of  Organization  for  the  Division  authorizing  five  officers 
from  the  Quartermaster  Corps.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
Quartermaster  General,  the  assignment  of  the  pay 
clerks  to  the  grade  of  captain  as  assistants  to  Division 
Quartermasters  appeared  to  be  an  uneconomical  assign- 
ment of  those  officers  whereby  the  Army  would  lose 
the  specific  advantages  of  the  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence possessed  by  them  and  accordingly  declined  to 
make  the  recommendations. 

On  August  31,  1917,  the  Quartermaster  General 
again  renewed  his  recommendation  that  the  sixty-four 
pay  clerks,  second  lieutenants,  be  promoted  to  captains, 
but  no  action  was  taken  thereon  at  that  time. 

Under  date  of  July  16,  1917,  the  Secretary  of  War 
ruled  that  it  was  undesirable  to  assign  War  Department 
clerks,  who  were  officers  in  the  Reserve  Corps,  to  duty 
in  the  War  Department.  A  large  number  of  the  clerks 
in  the  War  Department  had  successfully  passed  the  ex- 
amination for  commission  in  the  officers'  Reserve  Corps 
and  were  very  able  and  competent  men.  Their  services 
as  officers  in  the  expanding  period  of  War  Department 
activities  would  have  been  of  exceptional  value  in  ad- 
ministrative capacities  and  greatly  assisted  in  the  de- 
tails of  developing  the  several  branches  of  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  to  meet  the  demands  made  on  it,  but  the 
memorandum  mentioned  operated  adversely  in  two  di- 
rections. First,  it  removed  from  the  Quartermaster 
General's  Office  many  men  whose  services  could  not 
properly  be  spared  at  that  time,  leaving  large  gaps  in 


46         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  office  force;  and,  second,  it  required  dispatching 
those  same  men  as  officers  to  activities  where  the  Gov- 
ernment was  not  receiving  the  full  measure  of  their 
ability. 

As  an  insufficient  number  of  officers  for  the  several 
shifts  of  clerks  were  available,  the  officers  then  on  duty 
were  compelled  to  remain  on  duty  many  additional 
hours  each  day  with  the  result  that  several  of  them 
suffered  serious  physical  breakdowns. 

The  work  of  the  Remount  Branch  of  the  Transporta- 
tion Division  increased  rapidly,  and  efforts  were  made 
to  have  it  expanded  so  as  to  form  a  separate  Division. 
An  Administrative  Personnel  for  it  was  recommended 
on  August  26th,  which  was  approved  by  a  Committee 
of  the  General  Staff,  but  on  the  recommendation  of 
General  Bliss,  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff,  was  disap- 
proved by  the  Secretary  of  War  "until  experience 
showed  the  necessity  for  the  appointment  of  these  of- 
ficers." After  repeated  and  urgent  requests  by  the  Of- 
fice of  the  Quartermaster  General  and  the  Committee 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  the  necessary  per- 
sonnel was  appointed  on  October  12th.  The  Quarter- 
master General  understood  that  the  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  informed  the  Chief  of  Staff  (recently  pro- 
moted) that  unless  the  personnel  was  authorized  he 
would  resign  from  the  Committee,  as  he  was  unwilling 
to  risk  his  personal  reputation  by  association  with  an 
organization  so  inadequately  provided  with  adminis- 
trative officers. 

An  expert  leather  man  had  been  given  a  commission 


PERSONNEL  47 

in  the  Officers'  Eeserve  Corps  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  at  the  Jeffersonville  Depot  in  charge  of  the  in- 
spection of  leather  goods  received  under  contract.  Such 
officer  reported  that  the  civilian  inspectors,  obtained 
through  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  had  passed  for 
acceptance  "traces"  which  were  not  up  to  specification, 
consequently  the  following  memorandum  was  prepared 
and  forwarded: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General, 

November  19,  1917. 

MEMORANDUM  FOR  THE  CHIEF  OF  STAFF: 

1.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  this  office  will  be  re- 
quired to  inspect  289,285  sets  of  harness  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  fiscal  year  1918,  and  an  estimated  quan- 
tity of  738,350  sets  of  harness,  also  a  large  number  of 
halters,  bridles  and  saddles  during  the  fiscal  year  1919, 
the  necessity  of  commissioning  a  number  of  experts  for 
the  inspection  of  leather  equipment  in  the  present 
emergency  has  proved  imperative.  Repeated  experi- 
ments with  civilian  inspectors  and  officers  already  com- 
missioned in  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  the  last  five 
months  have  been  a  failure,  and  have  demonstrated  the 
impossibility  of  properly  safeguarding  the  interests  of 
the  Government  by  the  use  of  such  inspecting  personnel. 
The  men  procurable  at  the  authorized  salary  of 
$1,500.00  a  year  for  civilian  inspectors  are  generally 
inefficient  and  lacking  in  character  and  experience  and 
of  the  officers  already  commissioned  in  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  who  were  considered  qualified  for  this 


48         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

work  according  to  the  records  only  5,  of  over  50  who 
have  been  tried,  are  capable  of  performing  this  work. 

2.  The  depot  quartermaster  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind., 
has  asked,  therefore,  that  certain  leather  equipment  in- 
spectors, who  are  willing  to  serve  the  Government  from 
patriotic  motives,  be  commissioned  for  this  purpose,  and 
it  is  recommended  that  authority  be  granted  to  com- 
mission in  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  National  Army,  17 
captains,  17  first  lieutenants  and  17  second  lieutenants 
without  examination,  except  as  to  physical  fitness,  for 
the  performance  of  this  work. 

3.  Before  recommending  them  for  commission,  the 
qualifications  for  those  who  volunteer  for  this  duty 
will  be  fully  established  by  competent  officers  of  this 
Corps. 

4.  More  than  50  leather  equipment  experts  of  high 
business  standing  and  experience,  with  established  rep- 
utations for  integrity,  have  offered  their  services  to  the 
Government. 

5.  It  is  considered  necessary  that  those  commis- 
sioned be  called  to  active  duty  without  delay  and  as- 
signed to  the  depot  Quartermaster,  Jeffersonville,  In- 
diana, as  his  assistants. 

Very  respectfully, 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Quartermaster  General. 

A  few  days  later  this  was  returned  by  the  Acting 
Chief  of  Staff,  General  Biddle,  disapproved.  The 
Quartermaster  General  then  saw  him  personally  and  ex- 
plained the  necessity  and  the  impossibility  of  having  the 
inspection  done  by  civilians  and  asked  for  a  reconsidera- 
tion ;  but  was  asked  why  use  had  not  been  made  of  the 
3,045  men  commissioned  from  the  camps.     It  was  ex- 


PERSONNEL  49 

plained  that  some  fifty  of  them  had  been  tried  as  shown 
by  the  memorandum  and  that  practically  none  of  the 
3,045  were  qualified  for  any  duty  because  the  school  for 
their  training  had  only  just  opened  (as  has  been  previ- 
ously explained).  A  Congressman  later  visited  the 
depot  at  Jeffersonville  and,  hearing  of  the  condition  of 
affairs  from  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  inspections, 
upon  return  to  Washington  reported  the  facts  in  per- 
son to  the  Secretary  of  War.  The  matter  was  then, 
about  January  1,  1918,  referred  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  the  War  Council,  which  body  promptly  recom- 
mended that  the  officers  requested  be  appointed.  The 
difference  in  action  taken  and  time  required  to  obtain  a 
decision  on  a  similar  request  is  illustrated  by  the  fol- 
lowing letter  of  an  officer,  who  it  is  understood  insisted 
before  assuming  the  duty,  that  his  recommendations 
must  be  approved.    The  letter  is  as  follows : 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General 

Washington,  January  23,  1918. 

MEMORANDUM: 

0.  Q.  M.  G.  to  the  Chief  of  Staff: 

1.  The  office  of  the  depot  Quartermaster,  JefTerson- 
ville, Ind.,  will  be  required  to  inspect  approximately 
120,000  escort  wagons,  20,000  ration  carts,  20,000 
water  carts,  5,000  medical  carts,  25,000  limbered 
combat  wagons  and  the  necessary  parts  for  these  ve- 
hicles. Repeated  experiences  with  civilian  inspectors 
and  officers  already  commissioned  in  the  Quartermaster 


50  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Corps  have  been  unsuccessful  and  have  demonstrated 
the  impossibility  of  properly  safeguarding  the  interests 
of  the  Government  by  the  inspecting  personnel  now- 
available. 

2.  The  depot  Quartermaster  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind., 
has  asked,  therefore,  that  certain  vehicle  experts,  who 
are  willing  to  serve  the  Government  from  patriotic  mo- 
tives, be  commissioned  for  this  purpose,  and  it  is  recom- 
mended that  the  necessary  authority  be  granted  to  com- 
mission in  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  National  Army,  1 
major,  10  captains,  10  first  lieutenants  and  10  second 
lieutenants  without  examination  except  as  to  physical 
fitness  for  the  performance  of  this  work. 

3.  Before  recommending  them  for  commission,  the 
qualifications  of  those  who  volunteer  for  this  duty  will 
be  fully  established  by  competent  officers  of  this  Corps. 

4.  It  is  considered  necessary  that  those  commis- 
sioned be  called  to  active  duty  without  delay  and  as- 
signed to  the  depot  quartermaster,  Jeffersonville,  Ind., 
as  his  assistants. 

GEO.  W.  GOETHALS, 

Acting  Quartermaster  General. 
January  26,  1918 
APPROVED 
By  Order  of  the  Secretary  of  War : — 

Wm.  S.  Graves, 
Colonel,  General  Staff, 
Assistant  to  Acting  Chief  of  Staff. 

It  must  be  noted  that  there  was  no  greater  urgency 
or  an  increase  of  business  at  the  time  the  latter  letter 
was  forwarded,  which  explains  or  justifies  the  different 
action  taken;  in  fact  there  was  greater  urgency  and 
sound  business  reasons  why  the  former  communication 
should  have  received  as  prompt  approval  as  the  latter. 


PERSONNEL  51 

ENLISTED  MEN,  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Prior  to  the  World  War  the  enlisted  strength  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  and  the  number  in  each  grade, 
was  limited  and  fixed  from  time  to  time  by  the  Presi- 
dent, in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  the  Army,  as 
provided  for  in  Section  Nine,  Act  of  June  3,  1916, 
reading  as  follows : 

"The  total  enlisted  strength  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and 
the  number  in  each  grade  shall  be  limited  and  fixed  from  time 
to  time  by  the  President  in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  the 
Army,  and  shall  consist  of  quartermaster  sergeants  senior 
grade,  quartermaster  sergeants,  sergeants  first  class,  sergeants, 
corporals,  cooks,  privates  first  class,  and  privates.  The  num- 
ber in  the  various  grades  shall  not  exceed  the  following  per- 
centages of  the  total  enlisted  strength  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps,  namely :  Quartermaster  sergeants  senior  grade,  five- 
tenths  of  one  per  centum;  quartermaster  sergeants  six  per 
centum;  sergeants  first  class  two  and  five-tenths  per  centum; 
sergeants  twenty-five  per  centum;  corporals  ten  per  centum; 
privates  first  class,  forty-five  per  centum;  privates,  nine  per 
centum ;  cooks,  two  per  centum ;  Provided,  That  the  master 
electricians  now  authorized  by  law  for  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  shall  hereafter  be  known  as  quartermaster  sergeants, 
senior  grade,  and  shall  be  included  in  the  number  of  quarter- 
master sergeants,  senior  grade,  herein  authorized." 

Under  the  above  authority  the  number  fixed  by  the 
President,  on  recommendation  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
was  7,000  enlisted  men  for  duty  with  the  Regular 
Army,  and  an  additional  number  of  15,993  was  author- 
ized under  the  provisions  of  Section  55,  Act  of  June  3, 
1916  (National  Defense  Act),  for  enlistment  in  the 
Quartermaster  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps  in  all  depart- 
ments. Request  for  this  number  was  made  by  the  Quar- 
termaster General  under  date  of  February  25,  1917, 


52         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

and  authorized  March  3,  1917.  Recruiting  under  this 
organization  was  proceeding  most  satisfactorily. 

Realizing  that  this  country  was  about  to  declare  war, 
and  that  many  calls  would  be  made  upon  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  for  enlisted  men,  request  was  made  in  a 
memorandum  for  the  Chief  of  Staff,  that  authority  be 
granted  to  recruit  the  Quartermaster  Section,  Enlisted 
Reserve  Corps,  to  45,000  men.  No  action  having  been 
taken,  request  was  renewed  under  date  of  May  26, 
1917,  because  of  the  urgency  of  continuing  the  recruit- 
ing that  had  been  successfully  launched  and  because  in 
the  meantime  war  was  declared  on  April  6th,  and  imme- 
diately the  calls  made  upon  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
were  more  than  could  be  supplied  under  the  limited 
number  of  men  then  authorized.  Ample  authority  was 
contained  in  the  National  Defense  Act  for  this  purpose, 
and  was  especially  provided  for  under  the  provisions  of 
Par.  1  (b)  Regulations  for  the  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps. 

An  extended  conference  was  held  at  the  War  College 
on  this  matter,  at  which  conference  the  Corps  and  Staff 
Departments  were  represented,  they  claiming  at  the 
time  this  was  necessary  in  order  to  have  as  a  Reserve  a 
body  of  men  who  could  be  placed  in  responsible  po- 
sitions when  the  need  arose  by  merely  calling  them  to 
duty,  and  not  having  to  wait  until  the  Supply  Depot 
or  Staff  organization  was  created  and  then  calling  on 
local  commanding  officers  for  the  detail  of  suitable  men. 
The  Adjutant  General's  Office  at  that  time  was  making 
an  earnest  attempt  to  recruit  approximately  65,000  men 
to  complete  the  Regular  Army,  and  maintained  that  to 


PERSONNEL  53 

authorize  enlistments  in  the  Reserve  Corps  for  the  vari- 
ous Supply  Departments  would  interfere  with  the  en- 
listments for  the  Regular  Army,  as  those  Departments 
were  offering  to  clerks  and  others  possessing  abilities 
along  given  lines  required  by  those  Departments,  war- 
rants as  non-commissioned  officers  practically  the  date 
they  enlisted;  whereas,  the  General  Recruiting  Service 
had  to  enlist  the  applicant  as  a  private.  In  addition  to 
the  several  recruiting  committees  which  were  operating 
throughout  the  country,  a  considerable  number  of  prom- 
inent colleges  undertook  the  work  of  training  the  clerks, 
storekeepers,  checkers,  et  cetera,  needed  by  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps,  as  the  authorities  of  those  institutions 
appreciated  the  importance  and  necessity  of  making  a 
large  number  of  such  trained  men  available.  To  stop 
recruiting  for  the  Quartermaster  Enlisted  Reserve 
Corps,  paralyzed  all  machinery  then  in  motion  to  ob- 
tain men  for  the  Corps  and  indicated  bad  faith  with 
the  numerous  civil  recruiting  committees  and  colleges, 
which  at  considerable  expense  to  themselves  had,  for 
patriotic  motives,  undertaken  the  work.  This  was  so 
stated  in  letter  of  June  21,  1917,  to  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral. The  views  maintained  by  the  Supply  Depart- 
ments did  not  prevail  with  the  General  Staff.  The 
result  was  that  when  the  National  Army  cantonments 
commenced  to  receive  recruits  all  of  the  Supply  Agen- 
cies were  handicapped  by  lack  of  suitable  men  to  attend 
to  the  urgent  needs  as  the  recruits  reported.  The  re- 
quest was  disapproved  under  date  of  June  16,  1917 
(2606798-A.G.O.),  which  also  directed  that  no  further 


54         THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 

enlistments  be  made  in  the  Quartermaster  or  Enlisted 
Reserve  Corps  except  to  the  extent  of  the  authority 
already  granted  to  be  called  into  active  service 
(15,993). 

This  action  caused  a  well  launched  and  successful  re- 
cruiting campaign  that  was  in  force  throughout  the 
United  States  by  volunteer  organizations,  the  entire  ex- 
pense of  which  was  maintained  by  those  organizations, 
to  be  stopped.  These  organizations  realized  the  neces- 
sity for  the  Quartermaster  Corps  to  obtain  their  best 
possible  material  in  which  to  form  the  nucleus  for 
Motor  Truck  Companies,  Wagon  Companies,  Pack 
Companies  and  Miscellaneous  Personnel,  and  urgently 
requested  that  they  be  permitted  to  continue  with  the 
machinery  then  in  motion  for  this  purpose.  The  Quar- 
termaster General  was  thus  placed  in  a  most  embar- 
rassing position  because  of  the  fact  that  he  realized  the 
necessity  for  the  additional  men,  and  further  appreci- 
ated the  work  of  a  civilian  organization  in  helping  him 
to  obtain  that  result.  He  was  forced,  therefore,  to  ad- 
vise these  organizations  through  the  Department  Quar- 
termasters of  the  various  departments  that  enlistments 
must  cease  when  the  allottment  then  authorized  was 
completed. 

Under  dates  of  June  21  and  June  23,  1917,  which 
as  following  the  disapproval  on  June  16,  1917,  of  any 
further  enlistments  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  the 
matter  was  again  laid  before  the  Chief  of  Staff  in  a 
memorandum.  It  was  urged  that  the  organizations  of 
45,000  men  originally  requested  be  granted,  in  order 


PERSONNEL  55 

that  the  recruiting  campaigns  then  under  way  through- 
out the  United  States  might  continue,  and,  therefore, 
the  much  needed  personnel  be  obtained.  No  action  was 
taken  upon  these  requests,  but  finally  under  date  of 
July  2,  1917,  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army  in- 
formed the  Quartermaster  General  that  in  lieu  of  the 
authority  for  a  total  of  45,000  men  there  should  be  sub- 
mitted, whenever  conditions  indicated  the  necessity  for 
other  organizations  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  a  re- 
quest showing  such  necessities  and  the  strength  of  or- 
ganizations required,  in  order  that  they  might  be  author- 
ized under  Section  2  of  the  Act  approved  May  18,  1917. 
This  action  of  necessity,  on  account  of  no  further  au- 
thority for  recruitment  under  the  Quartermaster  En- 
listed Eeserve  Corps,  resulted  in  all  recruiting  through- 
out the  United  States  being  brought  to  a  standstill.  On 
several  occasions,  the  Quartermaster  General  inter- 
viewed General  Bliss,  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff,  urging 
the  prompt  approval  of  the  requests.  The  Acting  Chief 
of  Staff  expressed  the  opinion  that  too  many  men  were 
being  requested  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps.  The 
Quartermaster  General  called  the  attention  of  the  Act- 
ing Chief  of  Staff  to  the  fact  that  the  Department  of 
the  Quartermaster  General  for  the  Forces  in  the  British 
Army  had  many  fewer  activities  than  those  placed  upon 
our  Quartermaster  Corps ;  and  stated  that  before  the 
war  began,  one  branch  of  the  British  organization,  the 
Army  Service  Corps,  had  435  officers,  and  from  10,000 
to  12,000  men,  but  that  there  were  at  the  time  he  was 
speaking  10,000  officers  and  from  200,000  to  300,000 


56         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

men  in  the  Army  Service  Corps  of  the  British  Army. 
The  Acting  Chief  of  Staff  inquired  how  many  more 
men  there  were  in  the  British  Army  than  in  ours ;  and 
was  informed  that  that  had  little  bearing  on  the  subject, 
as  our  Quartermaster  Corps  had  many  more  activities 
than  the  British,  and  when  the  time  arrived  that  the 
number  of  officers  and  men  in  our  entire  Corps  equaled 
those  of  one  Branch  (the  Army  Service  Corps)  of  the 
Department  of  the  Quartermaster  General  for  the 
Forces  in  the  British  Army,  that  it  might  be  assumed 
we  were  getting  enough  officers  and  men. 

The  Quartermaster  General  having  met  with  oppo- 
sition in  carrying  out  plans  for  bringing  the  enlisted 
force  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  to  a  strength  that 
would  meet  the  calls  then  being  made  upon  it  was  left 
no  alternative  other  than  to  submit  a  statement  for 
organizations  under  the  direction  given  by  the  Adjutant 
General  of  the  Army  on  July  2,  1917,  referred  to  above. 
Had  the  enlistment  for  the  Quartermaster  Section  En- 
listed Reserve  Corps  been  permitted  to  continue  the 
men  could  have  been  obtained  and  later  formed  into 
organizations  as  the  necessities  of  the  service  demanded. 
Finally,  under  date  of  August  17,  1917,  after  much 
delay  in  ascertaining  the  requirements  for  Quarter- 
master organizations  from  the  General  Staff,  authority 
was  requested  to  organize  the  following  Quartermaster 
Corps  organizations:  434  Motor  Truck  Companies,  78 
Headquarters  Motor  Supply  Trains,  34  Wagon  Com- 
panies,  17   Headquarters  Wagon   Supply   Trains,   24 


PERSONNEL  57 

Pack  Train  Companies,  and  2,682  Miscellaneous  Per- 
sonnel. 

The  number  then  authorized  in  the  Quartermaster 
Section,  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps  (15,993),  was  to  be 
absorbed  therein.  It  was  stated  at  that  time  that  the 
authority  of  34  Division  Supply  Trains  covered  by 
Tables  of  Organizations  were  in  addition  to  the  organ- 
izations above  authorized.  The  Quartermaster  General 
realized  the  insufficiency  of  the  authorization  for  Motor 
Supply  Trains,  Motor  Truck  Companies  (exclusive  of 
divisions),  and  under  date  of  September  18,  1917, 
again  requested  authority  to  organize  81  Motor  Supply 
Trains  and  52  Motor  Truck  Companies.  No  action 
was  had  upon  this  request,  and  a  very  short  time  there- 
after a  cablegram  (Par.  11,  cablegram  166)  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Commanding  General,  American  Ex- 
peditionary Forces,  stating  that  1,000  men  for  Motor 
Transports  must  be  sent  with  the  least  practicable  de- 
lay, and  that  500  each  sent  monthly  thereafter  until 
further  notice.  A  memorandum  was  again  made  to  the 
Chief  of  Staff  urging  the  authorization  repeatedly  re- 
quested. In  spite  of  the  cablegram  received  from  the 
Commanding  General,  American  Expeditionary  Forces, 
and  numerous  memoranda  above  referred  to  requesting 
additional  personnel,  authorization  was  not  granted 
until  November  19,  1917,  when  the  following  was 
authorized:  23  Motor  Supply  Trains,  58  Motor  Truck 
Companies  (separate),  8  Motor  Car  Companies,  23 
Motorcycle  Companies,  4  Wagon  Companies,  23  Pack 
Train  Companies. 


58  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

On  November  19,  1917,  a  cablegram  was  received  at 
the  War  Department  from  General  Bliss,  the  Chief  of 
Staff,  who  was  then  in  Erance.  Paragraph  3  of  that 
cablegram  was  in  part  as  follows: 

"Ascertain  from  Quartermaster  General  what  Quartermaster 
Corps  personnel  of  all  kinds  has  recently  left  port  of  embarka- 
tion and  what  can  be  expected  to  be  sent  within  the  next  60 
days.  Transportation  problem  in  France  at  the  present  time 
is  serious." 

Upon  receipt  of  this  cablegram  in  the  Office,  a  mem- 
orandum was  prepared  for  the  signature  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  which  criticized  quite  severely  the  fact 
that  after  having  been  repeatedly  refused  authority  to 
organize  units  which  were  required  in  France,  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  was  then  blamed  for  failure  to  forward 
those  units.  The  Quartermaster  General  declined  to 
sign  the  memorandum,  and  directed  that  a  memoran- 
dum be  prepared  simply  reciting  dates  of  request  for 
authority  to  organize  the  units  and  the  dates  of  the 
disapprovals,  omitting  all  criticism,  as  he  was  unwilling 
during  a  war  to  originate  a  controversy  in  the  War 
Department. 

It  would  seem  that,  when  the  matters  referred  to  in 
the  cablegram  cited  were  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
Chief  of  Staff  then  in  France,  a  full  explanation  and  a 
frank  statement  would  have  clarified  the  situation.  For 
instance,  the  Chief  of  Staff  might  have  explained  that 
about  August  1,  1917,  the  Embarkation  Service  was 
established  in  his  own  office  and  under  his  own  direc- 
tion, and  that  that  service  was  charged  with  the  duty 


PERSONNEL  59 

of  forwarding  personnel,  animals  and  property  to 
France;  that  none  of  the  Supply  Departments  could 
forward  either  personnel  or  property  to  the  Ports  of 
Embarkation  until  they  had  received  a  "release"  from 
the  Chief  of  the  Embarkation  Service,  and  that  no  in- 
formation was  sent  the  Departments  whether  the  per- 
sonnel or  property  had  been  shipped  or  when  it  would 
be  shipped.  The  whole  matter  was  regarded  as  con- 
fidential. Then  again,  a  frank  statement  that  he,  the 
Chief  of  Staff,  had,  when  Acting  Chief  of  Staff,  dis- 
approved the  requests  of  the  Quartermaster  General  for 
authority  to  enlist  men  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
would  have  explained  why  the  organizations  needed 
were  not  in  France. 

While  on  the  subject  of  this  same  cablegram :  in  Par. 
3,  the  Chief  of  Staff  inquired :  "Have  the  40  limousine 
cars  asked  for  by  General  Pershing  on  July  31st  for  his 
headquarters  been  shipped  V  To  which  reply  was  made 
that  no  copy  of  the  request  of  General  Pershing  of  July 
31st  for  the  40  limousine  cars  had  been  received  in  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  until  November  20, 
1917,  when  a  copy  was  personally  obtained  from  the 
Office  of  the  Chief  of  Staff. 

Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  failure  to 
grant  an  authorization  for  enlistment  of  men  for  the 
Quartermaster  Section,  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps  (May, 
1917) .  It  is  considered  that  it  was  well  nigh  a  calamity 
to  have  to  abandon  a  well  organized  recruiting  cam- 
paign that  was  under  way  with  the  assistance  of  local 
committees  in  the  principal  cities  and  towns  throughout 


60  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  United  States.  Due  to  the  lack  of  authorization 
only  222  Regular  Army  and  309  National  Army  re- 
cruits were  on  hand  at  all  recruit  depots  on  November 
23,  1917.  This,  of  course,  made  it  necessary,  at  that 
late  date,  to  select  men  from  the  draft  to  supply  the 
greater  portion  of  enlisted  men  required  for  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps,  whereas,  had  the  machinery  authorized 
by  the  National  Defense  Act  been  permitted  to  function, 
the  major  portion  of  the  first  quota  of  men  required  for 
the  Corps  could  have  been  had  without  difficulty. 

Effort  to  obtain  men  from  the  draft  for  service  over- 
seas was  very  unsatisfactory.  In  one  instance  the  Com- 
manding General,  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  re- 
quested that  75  stenographers  and  300  clerk  typists, 
also  50  stenographers  and  150  clerk  typists  be  furnished 
per  month  for  a  period  of  two  months.  The  men  re- 
quested not  being  available,  a  request  was  submitted  to 
select  that  number  from  the  draft  under  date  of  October 
9,  1917.  This  request  was  disapproved  over  a  month 
later  (November  23,  1917),  and  it  was  stated  that  it 
was  believed  the  men  requested  could  be  secured  by 
voluntary  enlistment  if  vigorous  efforts  were  made. 
This  statement  was  made  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
original  request  made  it  clear  the  men  were  not  avail- 
able and  that  they  were  required  for  immediate  service 
overseas. 

Another  instance  was  in  providing  the  necessary  en- 
listed men  for  Quartermaster  Mechanical  Repair  Shops 
Nos.  301,  302  and  303.  A  request  was  made  under 
date  of  October  11,  1917,  that  2,858  men  be  selected 


PERSONNEL  61 

from  the  draft.  No  action  was  taken  until  October  31, 
1917,  when  authority  was  granted  to  select  only  1,000 
of  the  number  requested,  and  it  was  stated  that  "The 
Quartermaster  General  will  report  later  and  renew 
request  if  unable  to  make  progress  in  organizing  the 
units  referred  to."  After  much  delay  the  1,000  men 
authorized  from  the  draft  were  furnished  from  canton- 
ments, only  to  be  found  that  they  were  unsuitable  for 
the  purpose,  following  which  numerous  requests  were 
made  to  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army  for  replace- 
ments of  the  unsuitable  men  without  satisfactory  re- 
sults. Finally  on  November  23,  1917,  the  balance  re- 
quired for  these  units  (1,858)  was  authorized. 

Still  another  instance  is  cited  in  which  it  was  found 
impossible  in  October,  1917,  to  obtain  by  voluntary 
enlistment  the  required  enlisted  men  (1,350)  for  Ma- 
chine Shop  Truck  Units.  Request  was  made  on  October 
10,  1917,  for  this  number  for  the  formation  of  54 
units,  ten  of  which  were  required  for  immediate  service 
overseas,  only  to  be  returned  under  date  of  October  23, 
1917,  disapproved.  Request  was  again  renewed  on  Oc- 
tober 23,  1917,  and  after  a  delay  of  nearly  thirty  days 
(November  15,  1917)  was  approved  for  only  1,100 
men. 

The  above  cited  instances  are  only  a  few  in  which 
delays  for  obtaining  the  necessary  authority  to  select 
men  in  the  draft  resulted  in  delay  of  formation  of  units 
for  overseas  that  were  urgently  needed,  and  had  been  re- 
quested in  cablegrams  from  the  Commanding  General, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces. 


(32         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  statement  that  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  made  every  effort  to  obtain  au- 
thority for  organizations  and  men  in  advance  of  the 
need  for  them.  Lack  of  authorization  prevented  the 
building  up  of  a  suitable  reserve,  which  would  have  been 
available  to  supply  demands  that  were  anticipated,  and 
resulted  in  lack  of  preparedness  and  great  difficulty  in 
supplying  men  at  a  later  date.  The  resort  to  the  draft 
at  that  stage  of  bringing  men  into  it  was  not  satis- 
factory, due  to  the  fact  that  the  machinery  was  not  in 
suitable  working  order  to  supply  men  on  short  notice, 
all  of  which  would  have  been  easily  obviated  by  proper 
authorizations  in  the  beginning,  and  the  utilization  of 
the  recruiting  campaign  then  under  way  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities  and  towns  throughout  the  United  States. 

The  most  serious  delay,  however,  was  that  caused  by 
lack  of  the  necessary  information  giving  organizations 
of  units  for  oversea  forces,  which  prevented  progress 
in  the  organization  of  those  units.  This  is  notable  in 
the  following  cases. 

1.  General  Pershing's  project  of  July  11,  1917;  a 
copy  of  which  was  never  received  in  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General. 

2.  General  Pershing's  project  of  September  18, 
1917 ;  copy  of  which  was  only  obtained  informally  about 
October  25,  1917. 

3.  General  Pershing's  Priority  Schedule;  copy  of 
which  was  obtained  November  28,  1917. 

Cables  were  received,  but  lack  of  information  con- 
cerning matter  called  for  in  items  on  Service  of  the  Rear, 


PERSONNEL  63 

which  project  had  not  been  received  in  the  office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General,  delayed  action.  For  example: 
October  11 — General  Pershing  called  for  items  in  his 
Service  of  the  Rear.  This  project,  as  shown  above, 
was  not  supplied  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral until  October  25,  1917;  when  the  Quartermaster 
General  personally  applied  for  it  after  seeing  the  refer- 
ence in  cables.  After  receipt  in  the  office  it  was  neces- 
sary to  study  same  and  then  proceed  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  units  required.  It  will  be  shown  later  on  that 
considerable  delay  and  embarrassment  were  occasioned 
by  the  failure  to  apprise  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in 
1917  of  the  number  of  men  to  be  in  service  in  1919,  and 
that  there  was  uncertainty  and  indecision  in  this  matter. 
The  table  furnished  by  the  General  Staff  giving  the 
personnel,  commissioned  and  enlisted  of  the  First  Di- 
vision to  accompany  General  Pershing  to  France,  in- 
cluded only  two  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and 
an  inadequate  number  of  the  enlisted  personnel.  There 
were  no  officers  included  for  the  Depots  to  be  estab- 
lished on  the  Line  of  Communication  Service  to  be 
organized  in  France  or  for  the  Disembarkation  Service. 
Effort  was  made  to  send  the  enlisted  personnel  of  a 
Motor  Car  Company,  the  members  of  which  were  to 
drive  and  keep  in  repair  the  automobiles  required  for 
General  Pershing  and  his  staff.  This  was  disapproved, 
as  a  Motor  Car  Company  was  not  authorized,  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Quartermaster  General  which  was 
submitted  in  December,  1916,  not  having  been  acted 
on.      The  chauffeurs  and  repair  men  necessary  were 


64  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

sent  over  in  the  guise  of  Quartermaster  Corps  Miscel- 
laneous Personnel  and  the  officer  assigned  as  Chief 
Quartermaster  on  General  Pershing's  staff  so  informed. 

During  the  year  1917  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
formed  about  twenty-eight  different  kinds  of  organiza- 
tions to  enable  the  work  it  was  charged  with  to  be 
properly  and  efficiently  performed.  Many  of  them  first 
came  into  existence  in  this  war  being  necessitated  by  its 
character  and  the  immense  numbers  engaged.  As  previ- 
ously stated,  the  Table  submitted  by  the  Quartermaster 
General  in  1916,  contained  most  of  these  organizations, 
as  that  Table  was  based  upon  our  experiences  on  the 
Mexican  Border  that  year  and  also  upon  a  study  of  the 
war  in  France. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  special  and  technical 
organizations  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps: 

Advance      animal      transport  Mechanical  repair  shops, 

depots,  Motor  car  companies, 

Auxiliary  remount  depots,  Motorcycle  companies, 

Bakery  companies,  Motor  truck  companies, 

Base  animal  transport  depots,  Organization  park, 

Butchery  companies,  Pack  train  companies, 

Clothing  units,  Remount  squadrons, 

Conservation  and  reclamation  Sales   commissary   units,   Sal- 
companies,  vage  units, 

Fire,    truck    and    hose    com-  Ship  repair  shops, 

panies,  Stevedore  regiments, 

Graves  registration  sections,  Standard  Military  truck  pro- 
Guard  and  fire  companies,  duction  section, 

Ice  plant  companies,  Supply  companies, 

Labor  battalions,  Supply  trains, 

Labor  companies,  Water-tank  trains, 

Machine  shop  truck  units,  Wagon  companies. 

A  Stevedore  and  Labor  Branch  was  constituted  in  the 


PERSONNEL  65 

Administrative  Division  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting 
stevedore  and  labor  troops  for  use  in  this  country  and 
in  France.  Colonel  William  G.  Austin,  N.  A.,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  this  Branch  to  organize  the  several 
regiments ;  after  organizing  the  first  three  regiments  he 
was  ordered  abroad  and  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Carey 
E.  Goodwyn,  N.  A. 

The  following  are  the  organizations  which  were  cre- 
ated by  this  Branch: 

White         Colored 
Enlisted  Enlisted 
Officers     Men         Men        Total 

301st  Stevedore  Regiment,  overseas  127  858  6,121  7,106 

302nd  Stevedore  Regiment,  overseas  127  858  6,121  7,106 

303rd  Stevedore  Regiment,  overseas  127  858  6,121  7,106 
304th  Training  Regiment,  Newport 

News   59  286  2,124  2,469 

305th   Reserve   Stevedore   Regiment  76  3,556          3,632 

50  overseas   labor   battalions 750  2,400  60,853  64,003 

50  domestic  labor  battalions 750  2,400  48,050  51,200 

Domestic   labor    companies 24  2,000  ....  2,024 


Total    2,040    13,216    129,390    144,646 

CIVILIAN   EMPLOYEES   QUARTERMASTER   CORPS   AT   LARGE 

The  number  of  civilian  employees  at  large,  that  is  at 
depots  in  this  country  and  the  insular  possessions  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  increased  during  the  year 
1917-1918  from  20,500  to  89,788.  Great  difficulty  in 
obtaining  the  employees  resulted  through  the  operation 
of  the  selective-service  law,  and  also  from  the  fact  that 
the  more  experienced  clerks  and  field  clerks  had  in 
many  c#.ses  been  commissioned  and  assigned  to  duty  as 
officers. 


G6         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

CEMETERIAL  BRANCH    (ADMINISTRATIVE  DIVISION) 

This  branch  had  supervision  over  the  83  National 
Cemeteries  which  by  law  are  under  the  control  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  and  also  had  supervision  over 
the  cemeteries  at  military  posts. 

Graves  Registration  Service. — In  obedience  to  Gen- 
eral Orders  No.  104,  War  Department,  August  7,  1917, 
there  was  organized,  equipped  and  supplied  four  units 
of  the  Graves  Registration  Service,  which  after  prepara- 
tory training  at  the  Casualty  Camp  on  Governor's 
Island,  New  York  Harbor,  and  Camp  Merritt  (Ten- 
afly),  New  Jersey,  were  dispatched  overseas  under  the 
command  of  Major  Charles  C.  Pierce,  U.  S.  A.,  Retired. 
Each  of  these  units  was  commanded  by  a  Captain, 
aided  by  a  second  lieutenant  and  comprised  an  enlisted 
strength  of  fifty  men,  with  the  organization,  more  or 
less,  of  an  infantry  company  of  schedule  1906.  In  each 
unit  there  were  three  expert  embalmers  with  rank  of 
Quartermaster  Sergeants,  Senior  Grade,  and  seven  em- 
balmers' apprentices;  also  four  sergeants,  two  of  them 
designed  to  be  clerks  and  five  corporals,  who,  in  ad- 
dition to  their  military  duties,  were  intended  to  act  as 
foremen  of  working  parties. 

Subsequently  the  Commanding  General  of  the  Amer- 
ican Expeditionary  Forces  in  France  cabled  for  eleven 
additional  units  of  the  Graves  Registration  Service, 
which  units  were  organized  at  the  Training  Camp  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  at  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
Florida,  and  dispatched  overseas.     When  the  first  four 


PERSONNEL  (57 

unit0  were  ready  for  shipment  abroad,  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  was  informed  that  they  would  not  be  re- 
quired there.  A  letter  stating  the  necessity  for  such 
organizations  in  order  to  keep  accurate  record  of 
the  deaths  and  the  location  of  the  interments  was 
prepared  by  Majors  H.  R.  Lemly  and  Charles 
C.  Pierce,  and  permission  to  send  the  units  was 
urged.  It  is  believed  that  without  those  units 
it  would  have  been  difficult  to  prepare  and  main- 
tain the  accurate  records  kept  in  France.  That 
the  value  of  the  units  was  appreciated  is  demonstrated 
by  the  later  request  for  eleven  additional  units.  To  the 
two  officers  named  is  due  the  credit  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  units  and  also  for  the  presentation  of  the 
urgent  request  to  forward  the  first  four  units  to  France. 


Ill 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  DIVISION 

Financial  problems  and  accounting — Difficulties  and  embarrass- 
ments. 

The  following  financial  problems  faced  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  at  the  date  of  declaration  of  war,  April  6, 
1917: 

(a)  Lack  of  Funds. — When  war  was  declared  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  was  without  funds.  Congress  had 
adjourned  March  4th  without  enacting  the  Deficiency 
Bill  made  necessary  by  the  mobilization  of  the  National 
Guard  along  the  Mexican  boarder  and  the  Pershing 
Expedition  into  Mexico.  Congress  also  failed  to  enact 
into  law  the  Army  Appropriation  Bill,  fiscal  year  1918. 
The  Deficiency  Bill  finally  became  a  law  in  April,  1917, 
while  the  appropriations  in  the  Army  Bill,  which  be- 
came law  May  12,  1917,  were  not  available  until  July 
1st  of  that  year.  Because  of  the  retention  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  National  Guard  in  the  Federal  Service 
after  December  31,  1916,  the  current  appropriations, 
which  included  no  funds  to  meet  National  Guard  ob- 
ligations, were  almost  exhausted.  Funds  had  been  pro- 
vided to  cover  the  services  of  the  National  Guard  to 
December  31,   1916,  and  the  cost  of  maintenance  of 

68 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  69 

Militia  organizations  retained  in  service  after  that  date 
was  necessarily  met  from  the  current  appropriations. 
Supplies  can  be  obligated  and  procured  without  funds 
in  possession,  but  the  current  activities  of  the  Army  call 
for  cash  payments.  The  situation  demanded  decisive 
measures,  which  were  taken.  Disbursing  quartermas- 
ters were  notified  by  wire  to  pay  only  for  certain  specific 
supplies  and  services  so  that  the  Army's  necessary  ac- 
tivities should  not  be  crippled.  Quartermasters  were 
required  by  wire  to  turn  their  balances  into  the  Treas- 
ury, and  the  funds  thus  accumulated  were  issued  under 
such  careful  supervision  that  officers,  enlisted  men  and 
civilian  employees  received  their  pay  when  due.  Not  a 
teamster,  carpenter,  or  other  employee  was  discharged, 
all  payments  that  were  essential  to  the  actual  operation 
of  the  Army  were  made  at  the  expense  of  obligations 
of  a  character  that  could  best  bear  delay  in  settlement. 
To  accomplish  this  result  borrows  were  made  from  what- 
ever appropriations  held  balances,  this  being  done  under 
a  somewhat  liberal  construction  of  the  35  Stat,  at  Large 
37,  which  provides  for  the  temporary  use  of  money  from 
one  appropriation  for  the  purposes  of  another  appro- 
priation. 

The  Army's  most  urgent  demands  were  thus  provided 
for  until  the  passage  of  the  Deficiency  Bill  which  be- 
came law  April  17,  1917.  This  Deficiency  Bill,  under 
the  demand  created  by  war  preparations,  scarcely 
stemmed  the  tide  for  a  day,  and  then  a  borrow  of  $30,- 
000,000  was  negotiated  from  the  appropriation  of  $100,- 
000,000  "National  Security  and  Defense,"  carried  in 


70         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  Act  of  April  17,  1917.  The  Quartermaster  Corps 
had  expended  $27,000,000  of  this  borrow  when  Con- 
gress came  to  the  rescue  with  the  Urgent  Deficiency  Act, 
approved  June  15,  1917,  which  enabled  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  to  pay  its  borrow  of  $30,000,000,  settle 
its  outstanding  obligations,  and  proceed  to  do  business 
in  a  business-like  way. 

Financing  the  United  States  Army  in  time  of  war 
without  funds  is  something  of  a  proposition  and  is  no 
child's  play.  From  March  4th  until  June  15th  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  was  practically  without  funds,  yet 
none  of  the  necessary  activities  of  the  Army  were  cur- 
tailed and  the  Army  as  a  whole  pursued  its  usual  rou- 
tine unconscious  of  the  fact  that  it  was  on  the  verge  of 
bankruptcy.  The  Army  only  knows  that  it  received  its 
pay  and  that  there  was  no  interruption  of  its  usual  ac- 
tivities, but  it  does  not  know  that  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  stood  between  it  and  disaster. 

(b)  Financing  Contractors. — To  assist  harassed 
contractors,  who  were  placed  in  an  embarrassing  po- 
sition through  failure  of  Congress  to  appropriate  the 
necessary  funds  to  pay  for  supplies  delivered,  quarter- 
masters were  instructed  to  issue  to  creditors  of  the  Gov- 
ernment a  statement  or  form  of  voucher  to  show  the 
Government's  indebtedness  to  the  contractor,  with  a 
view  to  assisting  him  in  raising  funds  to  tide  over  the 
delay  in  settlement.  The  law  precludes,  and  rightly  so, 
the  assignment  of  vouchers  or  due  bills  against  the  Gov- 
ernment, but  a  form  of  voucher  was  prepared  in  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  with  the  approval 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  71 

of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury,  which  afforded 
timely  relief  to  worthy  contractors  of  small  means  who 
were  pushed  to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy  by  the  failure 
of  the  Government  to  meet  its  obligations. 

Through  this  procedure  and  in  no  other  way  could 
the  contractors  for  clothing  and  other  necessary  mu- 
nitions required  by  the  Quartermaster  Corps  procure 
the  raw  material  necessary  to  enable  them  to  produce 
the  completed  articles  so  absolutely  essential  for  the 
equipment  of  troops.  The  amounts  involved  were  so 
extraordinarily  large  that  even  contractors  and  corpora- 
tions of  the  highest  standing  and  the  strongest  financial 
backing  were  helpless  in  the  face  of  the  emergency,  and 
without  some  measure  of  this  sort  the  production  of 
war  supplies  would  have  been  practically  stopped.  In 
this  procedure  the  Quartermaster  Corps  had  the  cordial 
and  powerful  backing  of  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank 
through  its  member  banks,  which  contributed  materially 
to  the  success  of  this  somewhat  revolutionary  departure 
from  usual  Government  methods. 

(c)  Simplification  of  Accounting. — For  some  years 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  had  been  operating  under  a 
system  of  apportionment  of  funds  which,  while  it  ac- 
complished certain  desirable  results,  was  responsible 
for  a  great  deal  of  paper  work  on  the  part  of  quarter- 
masters at  posts  and  in  the  field.  This  system,  which 
was  something  of  a  burden  in  time  of  peace,  was  im- 
possible in  time  of  war,  when  quartermasters 
were  occupied  with  duties  of  too  important  a  character 
to  be  hampered  in  any  degree  by  detail  paper  work  that 


72  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

could  in  any  way  be  eliminated.  This  apportionment 
system,  consequently,  was  eliminated  and  a  simple  up- 
to-date  workable  system  of  direct  supply  of  funds,  on 
call,  substituted  therefor.  One  result  of  this  simplifica- 
tion of  accounting  was  that  the  number  of  office  ac- 
countants for  detailed  record  of  expenditures  was  re- 
duced from  192  to  80. 

(d)  Simplification  of  Property  Accounting. — A  top- 
heavy  and  intricate  method  of  accounting  for  thousands 
of  articles  and  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  Quarter- 
master property  was  supplanted  by  a  system  that  greatly 
simplified  accounting  and  reduced  the  number  of  ac- 
countable officers,  being  more  adapted  in  every  way  to 
war  conditions  than  the  old  system. 

(e)  The  Wool  Supply. — To  guarantee  a  supply  of 
suitable  clothing  for  the  Army  the  necessary  steps  were 
taken  to  establish  and  maintain  a  reserve  supply  of 
wool,  a  wool  purchasing  agency  being  established  in 
Boston  which,  by  a  constant  study  of  the  market  and 
judicious  purchases  at  various  times,  steadied  the  mar- 
ket and  enabled  the  Quartermaster  General  to  furnish 
contractors  at  cost  with  the  necessary  material  for  the 
manufacture  of  uniforms,  blankets  and  other  munitions 
in  which  wool  entered  as  a  constituent  part.  This  wool 
purchasing  activity,  which  at  the  date  of  the  signing  of 
the  Armistice  had  reached  an  expenditure  of  approxi- 
mately one-half  billion  of  dollars,  was  a  somewhat  rev- 
olutionary venture  on  the  part  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  and  was  carried  on  with  the  assistance  and  co- 
operation  of   the    Council   of   National    Defense,   the 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  73 

American  Wool  Growers'  Association  and  the  Boston 
Wool  Trade.  This  wool  purchasing  activity,  which  be- 
gan in  1917  in  such  a  modest  way,  developed  into  one 
of  the  most  important  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  gigantic 
war  enterprises  of  the  Government. 

(f)  Reduction  of  Finance  Work  in  Supply  Depots. 
— The  provision  of  supplies  for  an  Army  running  into 
millions  threw  upon  the  Supply  Depots  an  enormous 
amount  of  work.  To  reduce  the  paper  work  in  these 
over-burdened  centers  of  Quartermaster  activity  the 
settlement  of  all  transportation  accounts  was  trans- 
ferred to  Washington,  where  a  new  system  of  settlement 
gave  greater  accuracy,  prompter  payment  and  a  great 
reduction  in  paper  work.  Incidentally  it  relieved  the 
great  Supply  Depots  of  a  burden  of  detail  work  that 
seriously  interfered  with  their  legitimate  function,  the 
furnishing  of  war  supplies,  so  vitally  important,  in  war 
times. 

(g)  Allotments  of  Pay. — The  Army  had  for  many 
years  a  system  of  allotments  of  pay  which  enabled  the 
enlisted  men,  when  ordered  to  duty  outside  the  limits 
of  this  country,  to  have  a  certain  portion  of  their  pay 
delivered  directly  to  their  dependents.  Under  the  law 
as  it  originally  was  drawn,  however,  a  full  month  must 
intervene  between  date  soldier's  pay  became  due  and 
date  that  it  could  be  paid  the  allottee,  while  no  pro- 
vision whatever  was  made  for  the  allotment  of  pay  of 
officers.  Legislation  was,  however,  secured  from  Con- 
gress by  representatives  of  the  Quartermaster  General 
which  permitted  payments  to  allottees  on  the  day  the 


74         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

pay  of  the  soldier  is  due,  thus  eliminating  the  interven- 
ing month  required  under  the  old  law.  Authority  was 
also  secured  so  that  officers  could  allot  pay  to  their  de- 
pendents. This  legislation  also  liberalized  the  allot- 
ment provisions  in  other  important  particulars,  making 
them  applicable  to  war  conditions. 

(h)  Bonding  of  Reserve,  National  Guard  and  Na- 
tional Army  Officers. — A  decision  of  the  Comptroller 
of  the  Treasury  required  that  before  Government  funds 
could  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  Reserve  Officers,  Na- 
tional Guard  Officers  and  National  Army  Officers  they 
must  be  bonded.  To  meet  the  urgent  cases  that  neces- 
sarily arose  where  it  was  necessary  to  bond  officers  on 
short  notice  a  so-called  "Interim  Bond"  was  prepared 
in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  which  was 
approved  by  the  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury.  This 
form  of  bond  enabled  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General  to  bond  an  officer  on  telegraphic  request  and 
place  funds  to  his  credit  immediately,  without  waiting 
for  the  receipt  of  the  officer's  signed  application.  This 
temporary  bond  remained  in  force  until  the  officer  sub- 
mitted a  proper  and  permanent  bond.  Resort  to  this 
temporary  bond  cleared  up  a  number  of  perplexing 
situations  and  enabled  the  Quartermaster  General  to 
place  funds  where  delay  would  have  proved  disastrous. 

(i)  Disbursing  from  One  Appropriation. — To  sim- 
plify the  task  of  disbursing  quartermasters  in  France 
and  other  places  outside  the  limits  of  this  country,  a 
plan  of  procedure  was  worked  out  in  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General  that  enabled  disbursing  officers 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  75 

to  make  all  disbursements  from  one  appropriation.  This 
method  eliminated  the  trouble  and  confusion  occasioned 
by  the  necessity  of  calling  for  funds  under  various  ap- 
propriations and  the  duplication  of  much  trouble  and 
confusion  in  cabling  back  credits  under  these  various 
and  multitudinous  appropriations.  Disbursing  quar- 
termasters, under  the  method  in  use,  simply  called  for 
money,  the  amount  called  for  being  cabled  back  with- 
out reference  to  appropriations.  The  necessary  adjust- 
ments were  made  in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General  and  in  the  Office  of  the  Auditor  for  the  War 
Department. 

(j)  Funds  for  Independent  Units  Going  Abroad. — 
In  order  that  in  case  of  unforeseen  eventualities  no  de- 
tachments of  United  States  Army  personnel  should  be 
left  without  funds  the  Quartermaster  General  insisted 
that  the  disbursing  quartermasters  of  every  independent 
unit  going  abroad  be  provided  with  funds,  United  States 
Treasury  credit  and  Treasury  checks.  This  precaution 
was  justified  in  many  striking  instances,  and  prevented 
many  embarrassing  situations  where  American  con- 
tingents were  located  for  indefinite  periods  at  points 
where  the  funds  supplied  were  needed  for  their  main- 
tenance pending  their  location  at  points  within  the  lines 
of  regular  supply. 

(k)  Financing  Disbursing  Quartermasters  in 
France. — One  of  the  most  serious  finance  problems  to 
be  solved  was  the  method  to  be  followed  in  France  for 
providing  and  disbursing  cash,  the  varying  rates  of  ex- 
change adding  a  confusing  factor  to  the  situation.     The 


76         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Quartermaster  General's  Office  presented  the  matter 
with  a  recommendation  to  the  Treasury,  and  as  a  result 
the  branches  in  France  of  certain  reputable  American 
fiscal  institutions  functioned  as  Government  deposi- 
taries; and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  on  the  in- 
itiative of  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  an- 
nounced monthly  a  fixed  rate  of  exchange  for  one  full 
month,  both  for  purposes  of  expenditure  and  receipt. 
This  system  which  was  finally  applied  to  the  disbursing 
officers  of  all  bureaus  of  the  War  Department  enabled 
quartermasters  in  France  to  convert  their  United  States 
Treasury  checks  into  francs  at  the  announced  rate, 
giving  the  Government  credit  for  all  gains  by  exchange 
and  charging  against  the  Government  all  losses  thereby. 
This  procedure,  on  the  initiative  of  the  Office  of  the. 
Quartermaster  General,  received  the  sanction  of  law  in 
the  Act  of  October  6,  1917,  which  authorized  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  to  fix  the  rate  of  foreign  exchange 
for  the  purpose  of  disbursing  and  receiving  Government 
funds.     Following  is  the  law : 

"For  payment  of  exchange  by  acting  quartermasters  serving 
in  foreign  countries  and  when  specially  authorized  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  by  officers  disbursing  funds  pertaining  to  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  when  serving  in  Alaska,  and  all  foreign 
money  received  shall  be  charged  to  and  paid  out  by  the  dis- 
bursing officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  at  the  legal  val- 
uation fixed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury." 

(1)  Agent  Officers. — Realizing  that  with  millions 
of  troops  in  the  field  it  would  be  impossible  to  furnish 
bonded  disbursing  officers  in  sufficient  number  to  make 
the  necessary  payments,  legislation  was  secured  in  the 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  77 

Act  of  May  12,  1917,  which  created  the  so-called  "Agent 
Officer"  who  acting  as  the  representative  of  accountable 
disbursing  officer  made  the  actual  payments.  This 
legislation,  which  was  secured  for  the  disbursing  quar- 
termasters, was  afterwards  secured  for  all  disbursing 
officers  of  the  War  Department.     Following  is  the  law : 

"Hereafter,  under  such  regulations  as  may  be  prescribed  by 
the  Secretary  of  War,  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
accountable  for  public  moneys  may  intrust  such  moneys  to 
other  officers  for  the  purpose  of  having  them  make  disburse- 
ments as  their  agents,  and  the  officers  to  whom  the  moneys 
are  intrusted,  as  well  as  the  officers  who  intrust  it  to  them, 
shall  be  held  pecuniarily  responsible  therefor  to  the  United 
States." 

(m)  Appropriations. — Following  is  a  statement  of 
Quartermaster  appropriations  made  available  for  the 
fiscal  year  1918: 

QUARTERMASTER    APPROPRIATIONS    MADE    AVAILABLE 
FOR    THE    FISCAL    YEAR    1918 

Appropriation  Amount  Appropriated 

under  Act  Total 

Pay,  etc.,  of  the  Army 

Act  May  12,  1917 $87,130,147.40 

*  "    June  15,  1917 350,105,839.90 

"    Oct.      6,   1917 405,403,131.00     $    842,639,118.30 

Mileage  to  Officers  and  Con- 
tract Surgeons 

Act  May  12,  1917 740,000.00 

*  "    June  15,  1917 510,000.00 

"    Oct.      6,1917 750,000.00              2,000,000.00 

Supplies,  Services  and  Trans- 
portation, Q.M.C. 

Act  May   12,  1917 80,610,100.00 

»     "    June  15,   1917 706,848,577.29 

■    Oct.      6,1917 1,132,886,500.00       1,920,345,177.29 

*  The  amounts  made  available  in  the  Deficiency  Act  of  June 
15,  1917,  were  for  deficiencies  in  the  fiscal  year  1917  and  for  the 
requirements  of  the  fiscal  year  1918. 


78  THE  QUARTERMASTEE  CORPS 

Horses  for  Cav.  Arty.,  Engrs., 
etc. 

Act  May   12,  1917 400,000.00 

*  "    June  15,  1917 25,000,000.00 

"    Oct.      6,  1917 40,000,000.00            65,400,000.00 

Barracks  and  Quarters 

Act  May   12,   1917 3,000,000.00 

*  "    June  15,  1917 47,603,314.20 

"    Oct.      6,  1917 49,155,000.00  99,758,314.20 

Construction  and  Repair  of 
Hospitals 

Act  May  12,  1917 750,000.00 

"    Oct.      6,1917 35,000,000.00 

*  "    June  15,  1917 2,115,267.00  37,865,267.00 

Quarters  for  Hospital  Stew- 
ards 

Act  May   12,  1917 25,000.00 

Shooting  Galleries  and  Ranges 

Act  May   12,  1917 45,000.00 

"    Oct.      6,1917 6,014,540.00  6,059,540.00 

Rent  of  Buildings,  Q.  M. 
Corps 

Act  May   12,  1917 41,225.10 

"    Oct.      6,1917 37,875.00  79,100.10 

Maintenance  Army  War  Col- 
lege 

Act  May  12,  1917 10,700.00 

Vocational  Training  of  Sol- 
diers 

Act  May   12,  1917 250,000.00 

Filing  Equipment  of  the  Army 
Act  May  12,  1917  (1917- 

1918)    , 45,000.00 

Buildings  Jeffersonville  Depot, 
Indiana 

Act  May   12,  1917 9,500.00 

Purchase  of  land,  Military 
Reservations,  Fort  Sam 
Houston,  Texas 

Act  May   12,  1917 330,000.00 

Barracks  and  Quarters  Phil- 
ippine Islands 

Act  May  12,  1917 500,000.00 

Military  Post  Exchanges 

Act  May   12,  1917 50,000.00 

*  "  June  15,  1917 500,000.00 

"  Oct.   6,  1917 250,000.00       800,000.00 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  79 

Roads,    Walks,    Wharves    and 
Drainage 

Act  May  12,  1917 600,000.00 

*     "    June  15,  1917 5,539,965.00 

"    Oct.       6,1917 12,700,000.00  18,83»,965.00 

Construction  and  Maintenance  of  Military  and 

Post  Roads  Bridges  and  Trails,  Alaska 

Act  May  12,  1917   ( 1918-1919) 500,000.00 

Military  Post,  Schofield  Barracks,  Hawaii, 

Act  June  12,  1917 1,077,000.00 

Purchase  of  Land,  Military  Post  Schofield  Bar- 
racks, Hawaii 

Act  Oct.  6,  1917 10,300.00 

Quartermaster's  Depot,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Act  Oct.  6,  1917 300,000.00 

Sewerage  System,  Fort  Monroe,  Va. 

Act  June  12,  1917 9,359.99 

Seacoast  Defenses,  P.  I.  and  Hawaii 

Act  June  12,  1917 93,000.00 

Barracks  and  Quarters,  Seacoast  Defenses 

Act  Oct.  6,  1917 3,462,000.00 

Repairs  to  Buildings,  etc.,  at  Gulf  Ports 

Act  Oct.  6,  1917 89,962.60 

Bridge   Across   Republican    River,    Fort   Riley, 

Kans. 

Act  Oct.  6,  1917 15,000.00 

National  Cemeteries 

Act  June  12,  1917 120,000.00 

Disposition  of  Remains  of  Officers,  Soldiers  and 

Civil  Employees 

Act  Oct.  6,  1917 560,000.00 

Pay  of  Superintendents,  National  Cemeteries 

Act  July  12,   1917 63,120.00 

Headstones  for  Graves  of  Soldiers 

Act  June  12,  1917 50,000.00 

Burial  of  Indigent  Soldiers 

Act  June  12,  1917 2,000.00 

Burial  of  Indigent  Patients,  Army   and  Navy 

Hospital,  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

Act  June  12,  1917 200.00 

Repairing  Roads  to  National  Cemeteries 

Act  June  12,  1917 12,000.00 

Antietam  Battlefield:   Preservation, 

Act  June  12,  1917 4,500.00 

Confederate   Mound,    Oakwood   Cemetery,    Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Act  June  12,  1917 500.00 


80         THE  QUAKTERMASTEK  CORPS 

Confederate     Stockade     Cemetery,     Johnston's 

Island  in  Sandusky  Bay,  Ohio 

Act  June  12,  1917 250.00 

Care  of  Confederate  Burial  Plots 

Act  June   12,   1917 1,250.00 

Monuments  or  Tablets  in  Cuba  and  China 

Act  June   12,   1917 1,000.00 

$3,001,328,124.48 

As  stated  above,  Congress  adjourned  March  4,  1917, 
without  enacting  the  General  Deficiency  Bill.  This 
Bill  contained  an  item  of  $34,000.00  for  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  for  deficiencies  made  necessary  by  the 
mobilization  of  the  National  Guard  along  the  Mexican 
border  and  the  Pershing  expedition  into  Mexico.  The 
supplies  represented  by  this  $34,000.00  had  been  se- 
cured from  dealers  the  previous  fall  with  the  expecta- 
tion that  funds  would  be  made  available  early  in  De- 
cember, 1916,  in  the  Urgent  Deficiency  bill  which  would 
enable  the  obligations  to  be  met.  Estimates  covering 
this  Deficiency  were  prepared  and  submitted  by  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  and  through  no  fault  of  that 
Corps  failed  to  be  included  in  the  Urgent  Deficiency 
Bill.  The  only  recourse  was  to  secure  this  amount  in 
the  General  Deficiency  Bill  usually  passed  just  before 
the  adjournment  of  Congress.  The  failure  to  receive 
the  funds  and  liquidate  the  obligations  caused  great 
distress  and  hardship  to  the  public  creditors,  many  of 
whom  were  unable  to  meet  their  financial  obligations, 
which  they  had  assumed  in  order  to  provide  the  sup- 
plies needed  by  the  Government  in  an  emergency.  Be- 
cause of  this  distress,  and  because  the  appropriations  to 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  81 

provide  supplies  were  exhausted,  the  Quartermaster 
General,  in  an  interview,  explained  the  situation  to  the 
Secretary  of  War  and  stated  that  the  appropriation  for 
the  Pay  of  the  Army  contained  ample  funds,  all  of 
which  would  not  be  needed  for  the  purposes  for  which 
appropriated  prior  to  the  passage  of  the  General  De- 
ficiency Bill ;  stating  that  the  law  absolutely  prohibited 
the  use  of  funds  to  pay  for  supplies  obtained  under 
another  appropriation  which  had  been  exhausted;  in 
fact,  imposed  a  fine  and  imprisonment  for  such  a  pro- 
cedure. The  Quartermaster  General  stated  that  with 
the  approval  of  the  Secretary  the  transfer  of  funds 
would  be  made  and  the  distress  of  the  contractors  re- 
lieved by  paying  them  the  sums  owed  them,  and  that 
later  on  the  passage  of  the  General  Deficiency  Bill 
making  available  an  appropriation  to  satisfy  the  Gov- 
ernment obligations,  the  Pay  of  the  Army  would  be  re- 
imbursed by  the  funds  thus  withdrawn  from  it  in  viola- 
tion of  law.  The  Quartermaster  General  submitted 
later  two  separate  memoranda,  reciting  the  facts  and 
the  law,  and  received  many  millions  of  dollars  with 
which  the  most  urgent  cases  were  met  and  several  of 
the  contractors  saved  from  bankruptcy. 

Upon  the  failure  of  the  General  Deficiency  Bill,  the 
Quartermaster  General  explained  the  situation  to  the 
Secretary  and  stated  the  intention  to  destroy  the  mem- 
oranda approved  by  the  Secretary,  as  the  Quartermaster 
General  did  not  intend  that  the  Secretary  should  be 
blamed  for  the  transaction.  The  Secretary  replied  that 
he  fully  understood  the  situation,  appreciated  the  viola- 


82         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

tion  of  law,  but  that  he  had  approved  the  suggestion  in 
the  memoranda  and  was  therefore  responsible  for  the 
transaction,  and  intended  to  assume  the  responsibility 
and  directed  the  Quartermaster  General  not  to  destroy 
the  memoranda.  That  day,  upon  meeting  the  Secretary 
by  appointment  in  the  President's  room  at  the  Capitol, 
it  was  ascertained  that  several  of  the  members  of  the 
Cabinet  and  many  Senators  had  been  informed  of  the 
matter  and  expressed  approval  of  the  action  taken. 

Later,  other  methods,  not  in  violation  of  law,  to  ob- 
tain a  portion  of  the  money  required  were  adopted  as 
referred  to  above  and  refundment  of  the  amounts  with- 
drawn from  the  Pay  of  the  Army  was  effected.  In  ad- 
dition a  prominent  banking  house  in  New  York  ad- 
vanced $1,000,000  to  such  public  creditors  who  needed 
financial  assistance  and  an  individual  banker  in  San 
Francisco  advanced  $500,000  for  similar  purposes.  In 
neither  case  were  any  of  the  public  creditors  charged 
interest  for  the  moneys  so  advanced  them.  The  Gen- 
eral Deficiency  Bill  was  passed  the  latter  part  of  April, 
1917,  and  all  of  the  old  obligations  of  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  were  met. 

The  difficulties  and  embarrassments  imposed  upon 
the  Finance  Division  by  this  lack  of  funds  must  be 
apparent,  particularly  when  it  occurred  at  the  very  be- 
ginning of  the  greatest  war  this  country  has  ever  en- 
gaged in.  These  conditions  increased  upon  our  entry 
into  the  War,  as  new  obligations  had  to  be  made,  one 
of  them  of  over  thirty  million  dollars  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Training  Camps  for  Officers,  undertaken  in 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  83 

direct  and  positive  violation  of  law  as  no  funds  were 
available  or  had  even  been  estimated  for;  the  securing 
of  money  to  provide  the  many  individuals  and  organiza- 
tions forwarded  abroad  when  there  were  no  funds  avail- 
able in  the  proper  appropriations,  and  the  appropria- 
tions made  by  Congress  could  not  be  secured  until  after 
the  first  of  July.  Preparing  for  war  during  a  period 
of  over  three  months  with  no  funds  available  was  the 
task  imposed  upon  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  par- 
ticularly upon  the  Finance  Division.  That  the  situa- 
tion was  fully  met  was  due  entirely  to  the  ability,  re- 
sourcefulness and  courage  of  the  officers  attached  to  that 
Division.  Contemplate  for  one  moment  the  situation 
presented  by  shipping  troops  abroad  to  engage  in  war 
with  no  actual  money  available  in  the  various  appropria- 
tions needed  and  the  problem  which  then  was  presented 
may  in  a  measure  be  visualized. 

When  presenting  on  January  15,  1917,  in  the  Hear- 
ings before  the  House  Committee  on  Military  Affairs 
the  estimates  submitted  for  the  support  of  the  Army 
for  the  fiscal  year  1918  an  earnest  effort  was  made  to 
consolidate  eleven  of  the  Quartermaster  appropriations 
into  three.  The  purpose  was  to  simplify  the  paper 
work  of  the  Army,  provide  really  a  budget  so  that  the 
amount  required  for  each  item  would  be  shown  and  the 
appropriation  made  for  the  same  purpose  the  preceding 
year  stated.  The  reasons  for  this  were  fully  set  forth 
in  the  Hearings  and  in  the  data  submitted  at  the  time 
and  are  given  at  length  in  the  Hearings.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Committee  were  favorably  inclined  towards 


84         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  proposed  change,  but  it  was  abandoned  at  the  last 
moment  because  so  little  time  was  available  for  the 
consideration  of  the  bill,  and  for  the  additional  reason 
that  being  a  change  in  the  form  and  verbiage  from  the 
former  appropriation  bills  it  would  be  subject  to  a 
point  of  order  and  the  passage  of  the  bill  thus  en- 
dangered. If  the  suggested  change  had  been  adopted 
it  would  have  effected  great  simplification  in  time  of 
war,  and  a  corresponding  relief  during  a  time  of  great 
pressure,  and  furthermore  would  have  tended  to  greater 
accuracy  in  the  accounting.  It  moreover  would  have 
been  in  line  with  the  new  Budget  System  now  proposed 
for  Congress. 

In  regard  to  the  Methods  of  Money  and  Property  Ac- 
countability adopted  by  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  it  is 
desired  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  War  Depart- 
ment is  the  only  Department  of  the  Government  in 
which,  since  its  first  establishment,  the  policy  and  per- 
sonnel have  been  practically  continuous;  not  subject  to 
change  as  to  either  policy  or  personnel  every  few  years 
due  to  change  in  administration,  as  in  the  other  depart- 
ments of  the  Government.  The  result  being  that  the 
Methods  of  Money  and  Property  Accountability  are 
based  upon  the  experience  and  familiarity  of  the  sub- 
ject of  all  the  men  who  have  had  any  part  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Department  for  over  one  hundred  and 
forty  years.  The  characterization  of  such  methods 
as  "red  tape"  is  generally  made  either  by  the  hasty, 
careless,  indolent,  thoughtless,  ignorant  or  evil  disposed 
person ;  for  surely  the  Government  is  entitled  to  as  ac- 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  85 

curate  an  accountability  of  its  Financial  and  Property 
responsibility  as  any  business  man  or  corporation.  It 
is  understood  that  the  Financial  System  of  Account- 
ability of  the  State  of  Illinois  was  modeled  on  that  of 
the  Quartermaster  Corps,  the  forms  for  same  being 
taken  from  the  Quartermaster's  Manual  and  adapted 
to  the  purpose  intended;  and  that  the  proposer  was1 
given  a  handsome  monetary  consideration  by  the  State 
of  Illinois.  One  of  the  most  successful  railroad  busi- 
ness men,  a  graduate  of  the  United  States  Military 
Academy,  once  stated  that  the  forms  he  adopted  were 
modeled  on  forms  in  use  in  the  Army. 

The  work  of  preparing  an  estimate  for  Congress  is  a 
stupendous  undertaking  and  if  the  basis  for  this  esti- 
mate is  continually  changed  such  work  is  increased 
many  fold.  The  basis  for  an  estimate  is  the  number  of 
men  to  be  in  the  Army  during  the  time  for  which  an 
appropriation  for  the  support  of  the  Army  is  sought. 

An  approved  memorandum  of  the  War  College  Di- 
vision of  the  General  Staff,  dated  September  11,  1917, 
stated  that  there  would  be  thirty  divisions  in  the  Army 
in  1918;  sixty  divisions  in  1919;  thus  making  a  basis 
for  the  estimates  of  about  three  millions  of  men. 

Estimates  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps  were  there- 
fore prepared  on  a  basis  of  3,000,000  men  and  were 
completed  about  the  first  of  October,  1917.  Learning 
that  an  additional  call  of  men  was  contemplated  the 
Quartermaster  General  on  October  9,  1917,  addressed 
a  memorandum  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  as  follows : 


86         THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 


"It  is  understood  that  a  second,  third  and  fourth  call 
for  selective  draft  men,  for  456,000-500,000  and 
500,000  men  is  contemplated." 

"In  order  that  this  office  may  have  reliable  data  on 
which  to  base  estimates  of  the  quantities  of  supplies 
needed  by  months,  information  is  requested  as  to  the 
approximate  date  these  calls  will  be  made." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Quartermaster  General. 

To   which  the  Chief  of   Staff   replied  under   date  of 
October  23,  1917,  as  follows: 

"The  question  as  to  whether  or  not  subsequent  calls 
for  selective  draft  men  will  be  made,  and,  if  so,  the 
numbers  to  be  called,  has  not  been  determined  and  the 
information  asked  for  on  the  attached  memorandum 
(the  Q.M.C.)  can,  therefore,  not  be  furnished." 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 
General,  Chief  of  Staff. 

As  stated  above,  the  estimates,  based  on  the  approved 
memorandum  of  the  War  College  Division  of  Septem- 
ber 11,  1917,  were  submitted  about  October  1st. 

On  October  19,  1920,  a  memorandum  was  received 
from  the  Chief  of  Staff  as  follows : 

"The  Secretary  of  War  desires  that  you  submit  a 
modified  estimate,  based  on  the  assumption  of  1,500,000 
men  to  be  maintained  in  the  Military  Establishment 
during  the  fiscal  year  1918-1919." 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 

General,  Chief  of  Staff. 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  87 

At  once  estimates  were  started  on  this  new  basis  and 
on  October  22,  1917,  another  memorandum  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Chief  of  Staff  as  follows : 

"Referring  to  the  memorandum  dated  October  19th, 
the  number  of  men  called  for  by  the  program  of  the 
Aviation  Section,  Signal  Corps,  in  France,  is  11,941 
officers  and  112,245  men.  These  should  be  in  addition 
to  the  1,500,000  men  referred  to  in  memorandum  of 
October  19." 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 
General,  Chief  of  Staff. 

Before  again  commencing  work  on  the  estimates  the 
Chief  of  Staff  was  seen  and  it  was  explained  that  the 
estimates  for  the  fiscal  year  1918,  which  were  then  be- 
fore Congress  provided  for  2,033,345  men  and  that  the 
approved  memorandum  of  the  War  College  Division  of 
September  11th  gave  60  Divisions,  or  about  3,000,000 
men  for  1919 ;  and  if  that  number  of  men  would  be  in 
service  in  1919  arrangements  to  secure  the  funds  to  pay 
for  the  supplies  for  such  number  of  men  should  be 
made.  It  was  also  stated  that  under  authority  of  the 
Secretary  of  War  of  July  11,  1917,  purchases  were 
being  made  for  two  millions  of  men,  and  that  with  the 
approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War  under  date  of  Sep- 
tember 15,  1917,  in  order  to  secure  more  prompt  de- 
liveries and  keep  the  factories  in  operation  upon  Gov- 
ernment orders,  contracts  were  being  entered  into 
which  did  not  terminate  until  December  31,  1918;  and 
the  difficulty  of  securing  supplies  unless  funds  for  pay- 


88         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ment  of  same  were  available  was  indicated.  Authority 
was  then  given  to  estimate  for  funds  for  such  supplies 
as  required  more  than  three  months  to  produce  on  the 
basis  of  3,000,000  men  and  the  estimates  were  prepared 
accordingly. 

The  matter  contained  in  the  memorandum  of  Sep- 
tember 11,  1917,  of  the  War  College  Division  of  the 
General  Staff  was  of  such  vital  importance  in  the  plan 
for  the  Conduct  of  the  War  that  it  must  have  been  con- 
sidered by  the  Secretary  of  War.  The  decidedly  con- 
trary action  of  the  Chief  of  Staff  in  his  memoranda 
of  October  19th  and  22nd,  and  his  reply  regarding  sub- 
sequent calls  of  selective  draft  men  of  October  23rd 
seem  to  indicate  lack  of  coordination  between  his  office 
and  the  Divisions  of  same. 

As  stated  previously,  General  Pershing's  project 
of  July  11,  1917,  was  never  received  in  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General,  and  no  information  as  to  its 
contents  was  furnished  that  office.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Requin  in  his  book  "America's  Race  to  Victory"  states, 
on  page  49,  that:  "The  plan  submitted  by  General 
Pershing  to  his  Government  contemplated  the  employ- 
ment of  a  million  men  in  France  for  the  offensive  cam- 
paign of  1918,  to  be  disembarked  before  July  of  that 
year, — without  consideration  of  the  forces  that  it  might 
be  necessary  to  send  to  the  front  later  on,  nor  the  total 
numerical  strength  of  the  future  American  Army,  which 
he  estimated  at  3,000,000  men  (a  numerical  strength  to 
be  reached  within  two  years)." 

It  would  appear  that  the  Memorandum  of  the  War 


FINANCE  AND  ACCOUNTING  89 

College  Division  of  September  11,  1917,  was  based  on 
General  Pershing's  project  of  July  11,  referred  to  by 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Requin,  and  that  the  Chief  of  Staff 
by  his  instructions  of  October  19th  and  22nd,  disre- 
garded the  recommendations  of  General  Pershing. 

The  difficulty,  and  it  may  be  danger,  of  endeavoring 
to  provide  supplies  and  pay  for  an  Army  in  time  of 
war  when  no  funds  are  available  for  months  has  been 
before  alluded  to.  The  danger  would  be  the  possibility 
of  forcing  into  bankruptcy  firms  from  whom  supplies 
had  been  secured,  because  funds  to  satisfy  the  Govern- 
ment's obligations  were  not  available,  and  it  surely  is 
not  fair  to  expect  merchants  to  provide  supplies  needed 
during  war  and  have  no  funds  available  to  pay  for  them, 
simply  because  the  estimates  for  funds  submitted  to 
Congress  failed  to  provide  for  the  number  of  men  who 
would  be  in  service  according  to  the  plan  approved. 


IV 


SUPPLIES 

Supplies    division — Subsistence    branch — Clothing    and    equipage 
branch — Fuel   and  forage — Conservation   division. 

SUBSISTENCE 

On  account  of  the  perishable  nature  of  the  supplies 
furnished,  the  Subsistence  work  of  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General  was  entirely  decentralized. 
Credit  for  the  initial  supply  of  the  Army  as  it  expanded 
must  therefore  be  largely  given  to  the  Depot  Quarter- 
masters, under  whose  supervision  the  camps  and  posts 
were  supplied.  These  Depot  Quartermasters  were,  as  a 
rule,  the  very  best  type  of  officers  in  the  Corps,  but  it 
was  necessary  in  order  to  meet  the  demand  for  trained 
officers  to  send  many  of  the  most  experienced  officers  to 
France.  These  officers  had  for  many  years  made  a  close 
study  of  food  products  and  the  methods  of  preparing 
them,  had  made  constant  experiments  with  rations  and 
containers,  cooking  and  baking  appliances,  and  made 
practical  application  of  the  knowledge  thus  gained.  In 
their  specialization  of  the  study  of  food  supply,  the 
subject  had  been  considered  from  every  possible  angle 
and  from  different  viewpoints ;  but  it  is  no  discredit 
to  state  that  none  of  them  had  had  the  prevision  to 

90 


SUPPLIES  91 

foresee  that  this  country  would  ever  be  called  upon  to 
supply  an  army  of  millions  of  men  in  a  campaign 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  at  a  time  when  the  food  sup- 
plies of  this  country  would  be  drawn  upon  for  the 
civilian  populations  and  the  armies  of  the  different 
countries  with  whom  we  entered  the  war  as  co-bel- 
ligerents. 

Due  to  the  preliminary  study  of  the  permanent  of- 
ficers, aided  by  a  number  of  detailed  officers  who  had 
been  trained  in  the  work,  and  assisted  by  many  non-com- 
missioned officers,  when  the  war  came  there  were  on 
hand  some  thoroughly  attested  appliances  for  field  cook- 
ing and  baking,  and  it  was  only  necessary  to  very  largely 
augment  the  number  of  these  appliances  in  order  to 
equip  the  army.  The  task  of  securing  these  appliances 
was  made  difficult  and  the  time  necessary  to  obtain  them 
increased,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  steel  and  other 
material  from  which  they  were  manufactured  was  like- 
wise needed  by  our  allies  for  various  purposes. 

Of  great  assistance  in  the  critical  period  of  expansion 
were  the  post  quartermaster  sergeants  and  field  clerks, 
who  had  been  commissioned  in  the  Corps  as  Reserve 
Officers.  The  better  class  of  these  men,  those  who  could 
partly  visualize  the  enormous  scope  of  the  problem 
presented,  were  invaluable  as  assistants  to  the  Depot 
Quartermasters  and  as  instructors  to  the  officers  com- 
ing into  the  service  from  civil  life  in  Washington  as  well 
as  in  the  depots  and  camps.  Many  a  pitfall  was  avoided 
and  many  an  error  checked  by  the  patient  and  con- 
scientious work  of  these  men.    They  were  a  complement 


02  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

to  the  business  experience,  ability,  mental  and  physical 
force  displayed  by  some  of  the  temporary  officers,  and 
whose  loyal  and  efficient  work  in  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  has  not  received  the  acknowledgment  to  which 
it  is  entitled. 

The  number  of  permanent  officers  of  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  was  so  limited  that  no  one  was  immedi- 
ately available  for  the  exclusive  work  of  Subsistence  in 
the  Quartermaster  General's  Office,  and  that  work  had 
to  be  carried  on  by  a  most  efficient  Reserve  Officer,  a 
former  post  quartermaster  sergeant,  assisted  by  one  or 
two  other  Reserve  officers.  It  was  not  until  October, 
1917,  that  it  was  possible  to  receive  the  assignment  of  a 
permanent  officer  to  duty  in  the  Office  to  undertake  this 
work. 

The  specifications  of  the  Army  were  very  clear  upon 
the  points  of  quality  and  wholesomeness  of  the  food 
products,  and  were  prepared  after  many  conferences 
with  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  the 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  and  the  Chief  of 
the  Bureau  of  Experiment  Stations  of  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  and  the  Chief  of  Fishery  Department  of, 
Commerce.  Experts  were  stationed  at  most  of  the 
plants,  especially  where  meats  were  packed,  and  these 
made  constant  inspection  during  all  the  stages  of  cut- 
ting, curing  and  packing;  certain  vegetables  were  in- 
spected and  selected  before  being  put  through  the  can- 
ning processes ;  and  every  effort  made  to  insure  the  cer- 
tainty of  obtaining  proper  and  nutritious  food  supplies 
for  the  Army. 


SUPPLIES  93 

Supplies  were  purchased  in  the  usual  manner  after 
public  advertisement  for  proposals,  but  about  August 
13th  was  discontinued,  as  it  became  evident  that  such 
discontinuance  was  necessary  to  prevent  inflated  prices 
and  also  to  keep  from  the  enemy  knowledge  of  factories 
where  supplies  were  being  prepared  for  the  Government. 

It  became  evident  during  the  summer  that  certain 
food  commodities  would  be  short,  and  that  it  would  be 
necessary  to  adopt  some  plan  of  providing  the  require- 
ments of  the  Army  and  Navy  without  unduly  influenc- 
ing the  price  paid  by  civilians.  To  accomplish  this  the 
Council  of  National  Defense  undertook  to  make  allot- 
ments of  certain  products  such  as  beans  and  sugar, 
canned  tomatoes,  peas  and  corn. 

In  my  book  entitled  "The  Art  of  Subsisting  Armies 
in  War,"  published  in  1893,  the  necessity  was  urged  of 
creating  a  Department  of  the  Government  to  mobilize 
the  resources  of  the  country  in  time  of  war.  ISTo  atten- 
tion had  been  paid  to  this  important  matter  in  the  inter- 
vening years,  though  its  necessity  was  frequently  urged. 
The  introduction  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  in 
this  matter  was  a  feeble  step  in  the  direction  indicated. 
The  fact  that  the  country  must  provide  supplies  for  the 
allied  and  neutral  nations  of  Europe  indicated  the 
necessity  of  taking  legislative  action  and  the  ideas  sug- 
gested in  the  book  above  referred  to  were  adopted  in 
drafting  the  necessary  legislation,  which  resulted  in  the 
establishment  of  a  Food  Administration,  to  which  power 
of  control  over  the  export  and  imports  of  food  and  food 
products  was  likewise  given. 


94         THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

The  work  undertaken  by  the  Council  of  National  De- 
fense was  later  taken  over  by  the  Food  Administration 
and  the  bulk  of  the  requirements  of  such  articles  for  the 
fiscal  year  were  obtained  in  that  manner.  The  articles 
purchased  under  this  allotment  plan  were  in  many  cases 
purchased  under  a  tentative  price  subject  to  revision, 
and  later  when  the  crops  matured,  a  revised  price  was 
made  and  published  to  the  trade  and  all  supplies  pur- 
chased were  settled  on  that  basis.  The  prices  were  fixed 
at  first  by  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  and  later  by  a 
conference  committee  consisting  of  members  of  the  Food 
Administration,  and  one  representative  each  from  the 
Federal  Trade  Commission,  the  Army,  the  Navy  and 
the  industry  concerned.  The  prices  were  in  the  main 
accepted  by  the  trade  as  fair  and  reasonable.  They 
were  based  on  the  cost  price  of  the  article,  plus  what 
was  considered  as  a  "fair  and  just"  profit. 

It  was  necessary  in  a  few  cases  to  commandeer  sup- 
plies, especially  in  the  case  of  canned  tomatoes  and  peas, 
as  the  price  continued  to  rise  in  the  commercial  market 
even  after  the  price  set  by  the  committee  was  published 
to  the  trade.  In  cases  where  commandeering  was  neces- 
sary, the  dealer  had  declined  to  deliver  the  goods  to  the 
Army  even  though  he  had  before  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment with  the  Food  Administration  to  deliver  a  certain 
percentage  of  his  pack  to  the  Government  at  the  price 
determined  as  "fair  and  just."  His  object  was,  of 
cause,  to  sell  the  supplies  in  the  open  market  at  a  higher 
price. 

In  order  to  be  fair  to  the  dealers,  allotments  were 


SUPPLIES 


95 


made  by  the  Food  Administration  on  the  percentage 
basis,  that  is,  every  dealer  turned  over  to  the  Army  or 
Navy  a  certain  percentage  of  his  pack.  In  the  case  of 
corn  this  was  12  per  cent.,  and  of  tomatoes  18  per  cent, 
of  the  pack. 

The  market  was  not  closed  to  competition,  and  if 
anyone  had  anything  to  offer  cheaper  than  the  fixed 
price,  he  received  proper  consideration.  Such  instances 
were,  however,  rare. 

In  connection  with  allotments  of  food  and  fixing 
prices,  a  Food  Purchase  Board  was  appointed,  consist- 
ing of  a  representative  of  the  Food  Administration,  the 
Quartermaster  General  of  the  Army,  or  his  representa- 
tive, the  Paymaster  General  of  the  Navy,  or  his  repre- 
sentative, and  a  representative  of  the  Federal  Trade 
Commission  to  decide  upon  what  food  products  should 
be  furnished  under  the  allotment  plan  and  to  fix  a  mini- 
mum price  which  should  be  paid  for  any  of  the 
articles  so  allotted. 

The  following  articles  were  purchased  under  the  allot- 
ment plant : 


Tomatoes 

Sugar 

Beans,  stringless 

Canned  apples 

Canned  cherries 

Prunes 

Ketchup 

Jams,  assorted 


Corn 

Beans,  issue 
Beans,  baked 
Apricots 
Pineapple 
Flour 

Strawberry  pre- 
serves 


Peas 

Canned  salmon 
Evaporated  apples 
Evaporated   peaches 
Canned  peaches 
Canned  pears 
Evaporated  milk 


In  October,  1917,  it  was  finally  possible  to  secure  one 
of  the  permanent  officers  of  the  Qorps  who  was  an 


96         THE  QUAKTEEMASTER  CORPS 

expert  in  Subsistence  matters  for  assignment  to  the 
Subsistence  Branch.  The  work  of  this  Branch  in- 
creased enormously,  and  orders  for  the  expansion  into  a 
Division  were  issued. 

To  prevent  depot  quartermasters  in  the  various  dis- 
tricts from  competing  among  themselves  for  the  same 
article,  and  in  consequence  causing  a  rise  in  price,  it 
became  necessary  to  assume  control  in  Washington  over 
the  purchase  of  thirty-three  principal  items.  Bids  for 
the  supply  of  these  items  were  opened  simultaneously 
in  each  large  city  or  camp  where  a  Quartermaster  was 
stationed,  the  Quartermaster  wiring  to  Washington  the 
bid  he  recommended  for  acceptance.  This  gave  Wash- 
ington an  opportunity  to  exercise  control  without  ac- 
tually doing  the  purchasing,  as  in  each  case  some  depot 
quartermaster  was  instructed  to  buy,  unless  all  bids 
were  considered  too  high,  in  which  case  the  Wash- 
ington office  would  advise  where  a  lower  price  could  be 
obtained.  This  was  centralized  control  with  decentral- 
ized purchase,  and  the  list  of  controlled  items  was 
gradually  extended  until  at  the  time  of  the  armistice 
practically  all  items  were  included.  To  keep  advised 
as  to  prices  throughout  the  country,  a  section  was  set 
up  to  gather  from  every  known  source  market  statistics 
on  the  principal  food  supplies.  This  gave  a  means  for 
quickly  checking  the  quotations  received  from  the  vari- 
ous cities.  For  the  first  time  in  our  history,  the  pur- 
chases grew  to  such  volume  that  the  division  was  able  to 
secure  practically  every  article  from  the  manufacturer 
or  packer  and  eliminate  the  broker.     The  viciousness 


SUPPLIES  97 

of  a  system  by  which  the  Government  is  compelled  to 
have  transactions  with  brokers  or  middlemen  will  be 
again  pointed  out  later. 

As  an  illustration,  some  years  ago  the  agent  of  a 
manufacturing  house  called  upon  a  purchasing  officer, 
to  ascertain  the  prices  quoted  on  supplies  manufactured 
by  his  firm.  Being  told  that  as  he  was  not  a  bidder  and 
had  declined  to  submit  proposals  the  information  re- 
quested could  not  be  furnished,  he  replied  that  it  was  a 
public  office  and  demanded  the  information  in  order  to 
ascertain  if  certain  dealers  had  violated  their  contract 
with  his  firm,  a  contract  agreeing  not  to  sell  below  a 
stated  figure.  He  was  informed  it  was  a  public  office 
but  not  an  office  for  the  public  or  such  of  them  as 
were  in  agreement  in  restraint  of  trade. 

Toward  the  end  of  1917  the  problem  of  getting  the 
supplies  overseas  began  to  require  close  attention  by 
officers  already  overburdened.  The  size  of  the  Army 
that  was  finally  to  be  enrolled  had  not  yet  been  decided 
upon,  and  this  uncertainty  as  to  the  number  to  provide 
for  was  one  of  the  serious  difficulties  of  that  period. 
Certain  food  supplies  like  flour,  which  is  milled 
throughout  the  year,  do  not  need  to  be  provided  for  very 
long  in  advance,  but  others  such  as  canned  vegetables 
and  fruits,  are  seasonal  and  if  not  secured  at  time  of 
packing  are  apt  to  become  scattered  among  the  small 
jobbers  and  with  the  retail  trade,  so  cannot  later  be  se- 
cured in  large  quantities.  In  fact  it  was  even  consid- 
ered necessary  to  stimulate  production  of  some  com- 
modities so  that  Army  needs  could  be  supplied,   and 


98  THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

with  this  in  view  representatives  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  frequently  attended  the  meetings  and  conventions 
of  the  various  trade  organizations  concerned.  No  defin- 
ite plan  for  the  size  of  the  Army  was  at  that  time  avail- 
able, as  has  previously  been  demonstrated,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  make  liberal  estimates  of  the  quantities  re- 
quired and  purchase  accordingly.  This  indecision 
forced  the  officers  of  the  Department  to  assume  a  great 
responsibility  in  order  to  assure  sufficient  supplies  for 
the  Army.  It  must  be  remembered  that  those  supplies 
had  to  be  planted,  cultivated,  harvested  and  manu- 
factured. If  the  courage  to  assume  the  responsibility, 
notwithstanding  the  indecision  and  uncertainty  as  to 
the  numbers  of  men  to  be  in  service  in  1918  and  1919, 
and  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  provide  the  Subsist- 
ence supplies  needed  in  those  years  were  lacking,  seri- 
ous results  might  have  followed,  as  it  would  have  been 
too  late  to  do  so.  And  the  officers  who  assumed  that  re- 
sponsibility are  entitled  to  credit  for  their  action  in  that 
matter. 

In  1907,  the  then  Commissary  General  of  Subsist- 
ence requested  authority  of  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
visit  Europe  to  make  an  inspection  of  the  methods  of 
supply  and  the  systems  adopted  in  the  English,  French 
and  German  Armies  to  effect  these  vital  matters  during 
a  time  of  war.  The  then  Chief  of  Staff  having  stated 
that  there  were  no  funds  available  for  this  purpose 
the  Commissary  General  of  Subsistence  offered  to  go 
at  his  own  expense,  as  he  stated  that  no  previous  report 
on  this  subject  had  ever  been  made  to  our  War  De- 


SUPPLIES  99 

partment,  and  it  was  considered  of  the  highest  im- 
portance that  the  data  should  be  obtained.  Permission 
to  go  was  granted  under  the  condition  that  he  had 
stated.  This  is  mentioned  for  the  fact  that  the  follow- 
ing results  were  obtained  from  that  inspection,  all  of 
which  were  of  great  importance  in  the  late  war,  and  as 
such  were  a  contribution  to  the  war. 

1.  Permission  was  secured  to  send  officers  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  to  the  Ecole  de  l'Intendance  in 
Paris.  A  number  of  officers  took  the  course  before  the 
outbreak  of  the  war.  One  of  these  officers  was  in  Paris 
when  General  Pershing  arrived  there,  and  it  is  felt  that 
his  knowledge  of  the  French  Military  organization  and 
the  methods  of  administration  combined  with  his  ac- 
quaintance with  the  several  officers  in  the  French  Army 
was  of  assistance  in  those  early  days. 

2.  The  simplified  methods  adopted  in  the  British 
Army  for  Accountability  in  the  Field  were  studied,  and 
were  the  basis  of  the  methods  later  adopted  in  our  Army, 
which  saved  an  enormous  amount  of  paper  work  in  the 
field  and  made  the  problem  of  supply  easier  to  solve. 

3.  At  that  time  it  had  been  possible  for  the  first 
time  in  our  Army  to  secure  authorization  for  a  Field 
Bakery.  That  Bakery  was,  following  the  practice  of  all 
the  Continental  Armies,  to  be  attached  to  the  fighting 
trains  of  the  Army.  In  Paris  it  was  ascertained  that 
the  French  had  decided  that  the  Field  Bakery  had  no 
proper  place  with  the  fighting  trains,  but  was  an  ele- 
ment of  the  line  of  communications  and  as  such  should 
be  assigned  to  that  service.     As  a  result,  after  much 


100        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

opposition,  the  Field  Bakeries  became  an  element  of 
our  Service  of  the  Line  of  Communications,  or  as  it  is 
now  termed  Service  of  Supply.  This  enabled  the  aban- 
donment of  the  rolling  type  of  field  oven  and  the  devel- 
opment of  a  knock-down  type  of  continuous  baking  oven, 
which  is  thought  to  be  superior  to  any  in  use  in  other 
armies. 

4.  Observation  was  made  of  the  work  being  under- 
taken in  France  and  Germany  in  regard  to  rolling  kitch- 
ens, and  the  data  secured  materially  assisted  in  the  de- 
velopment of  a  rolling  kitchen  suitable  for  use  in  our 
Army. 

5.  A  suggestion  for  the  establishment  of  a  Supply 
Corps  was  submitted  as  a  result  of  the  study  of  the 
organizations  abroad,  and  while  it  was  not  adopted  it  is 
believed  that  it  was  helpful  when  the  matter  was  con- 
sidered four  years  later. 

The  ration  in  use  during  the  Spanish  War  proved 
unsatisfactory  due  to  its  lack  of  flexibility  and  variety, 
caused  by  the  fact  that  the  components  were  established 
by  law.  After  securing  the  necessary  legislation  in 
1901  a  change  was  made,  and  in  1908,  after  a  profound 
study  of  the  matter  a  new  ration  was  adopted.  The 
subject  had  been  studied  exhaustively  by  many  officers 
of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Army  and  several  of 
them  had  published  books  treating  on  the  subject  which 
had  been  recognized  as  authorities.  All  these  officers 
and  their  publications  were  consulted  when  the  change 
in  the  ration  was  under  consideration,  and  the  views 
obtained  or  writings  consulted  of  the  following  recog- 


SUPPLIES  101 

nized  authorities:  Professor  Langworthy,  Bureau  of 
Experimental  Stations,  Department  of  Agriculture; 
Doctors  Wiley  and  Alsberg,  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  De- 
partment of  Agriculture;  and  Professors  Atwater  and 
Chittenden  and  others.  The  purpose  was  to  establish  a 
well-balanced  ration  with  proper  nutritive  value  and  af- 
fording the  necessary  variety.  It  is  felt  that  by  the  as- 
sistence  of  the  authorities  above  cited  the  purpose  was 
attained,  and  therefore  at  a  joint  meeting  of  committees 
of  the  Food  Administration,  it  was  somewhat  of  a  sur- 
prise to  hear  a  temporary  officer  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment assert  that  the  Army  needed  a  balanced  ration; 
and  to  recommend  the  reduction  of  the  ration  in  order  to 
save  supplies.  The  Quartermaster  General  called  the  at- 
tention of  the  meeting  to  the  facts  as  above  stated,  refer- 
ring the  temporary  officer  to  many  standard  publications 
by  members  of  the  Medical  Department,  with  which 
works  such  temporary  officer  was  not  familiar.  It  was 
also  shown  that  in  the  matter  of  flour,  lard  and  sugar 
the  Field  Bakeries  and  the  Messes  throughout  the  service 
were,  and  had  been  for  some  time,  making  greater  sav- 
ings than  those  recommended  by  the  Food  Administra- 
tion. This  and  other  matters  of  food  conservation  will 
be  more  fully  treated  when  describing  the  work  done  by 
the  Schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks. 

The  Quartermaster  General  also  objected  to  the  re- 
duction of  the  meat  component  of  the  ration  and  the 
substitution  of  oatmeal  instead.  This  objection  was 
based  on  the  fact  that  a  large  number  of  the  selective 
diaft  men  would  be  drawn  from  cities  where  they  had 


102       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

been  engaged  in  indoor  occupations,  and  consequently 
did  not  possess  the  bodily  vigor  and  physical  activity 
which  they  would  require  in  an  active  outdoor  life,  to 
enable  them  to  undergo  the  severe  strain  of  active  serv- 
ice and  endure  the  exposure,  suffering  and  privation 
which  such  service  exacted.  Furthermore  as  many  of 
the  selective  draft  men  would  be  called  to  the  colors  to 
replace  the  valetudinarians  who  were  rejected  and  to 
make  it  possible  for  them  to  acquire  the  bodily  vigor  to 
endure  the  severe  physical  training  necessary  to  enable 
them  to  go  "over  the  top,"  it  was  a  duty  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  see  that  proper  and  adequate  nourishment 
was  supplied  them. 

It  was  also  suggested  that  any  savings  of  food  sup- 
plies other  than  those  already  being  effected  in  the  train- 
ing camps,  should  be  made  by  the  civilian  population, 
for  whose  protection  the  selective  draft  men  were  being 
trained  and  made  physically  fit  to  encounter  the  perils, 
hardships  and  horrors  of  a  war  the  like  of  which  had 
never  before  been  heard  or  dreamed  of  in  this  world. 

At  this  meeting  the  Surgeon  General  stated  that  the 
commissioned  personnel  of  his  Department  had  been 
more  largely  increased  than  any  other  Department  of 
the  Army,  that  many  of  the  ablest  and  best  known  men 
of  the  medical  profession  had  volunteered  to  the  call 
of  duty,  and  that  a  large  proportion  of  his  time  and  that 
of  his  permanent  officers  was  consumed  in  explaining 
why  certain  things  proposed  by  some  of  the  temporary 
officers  could  not  be  adopted. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  some  of  the  eminent 


SUPPLIES  103 

authorities  cited  by  the  Quartermaster  General  ex- 
pressed their  appreciation  for  his  having  explained  the 
care  taken  to  insure  the  adoption  of  a  well-balanced 
ration.  Fortunately,  nothing  was  done  to  effect  the  re- 
duction of  the  ration  suggested,  and  the  country  has  the 
consolation  of  feeling  that  everything  possible  was  done 
to  enable  the  selective  draft  men  to  go  "over  the  top"  in 
such  perfect  physical  condition  and  training  that  they 
at  least  were  not  too  weak  to  endure  the  strain,  and 
that  when  they  made  the  supreme  sacrifice  it  was  not 
because  their  bodies  were  so  enfeebled  as  to  make  them 
inferior  to  their  opponents.  In  fact,  the  bodily  vigor 
and  training  of  our  men  was  proven  to  be  equal  if  not 
superior  to  those  of  their  opponents,  and  this  to  the 
surprise  and  astonishment  of  certain  military  authori- 
ties who  had  doubted  whether  the  selective  draft  men 
from  the  large  cities  could,  because  of  their  indoor  oc- 
cupations, be  made  fit  to  endure  the  hardships,  exposure, 
sufferings  and  privations  of  an  active  campaign.  But 
the  results  proved  the  fallacy  of  their  doubts,  as  has 
been  clearly  set  forth  in  some  of  the  Regimental  His- 
tories of  organizations  composed  of  selective  draft  men 
secured  from  such  sources. 

The  ration  adopted  in  1908  contained  the  novel  pro- 
vision of  authorizing  the  commander  of  the  field  forces 
to  prescribe  the  field  rations.  This  was  urged  by  the 
then  Commissary  General  of  Subsistence  to  enable  the 
field  commander  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  put  his 
command  in  physical  condition  to  perform  the  duty 
assigned  to  them.     This  was  objected  to  by  members  of 


104       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  General  Staff  on  account  of  the  possible  expense  it 
might  entail ;  but  it  was  maintained  that  as  all  war  was 
waste,  the  best  way  to  stop  the  waste  was  to  stop  the 
war  by  giving  to  the  Field  Commander  the  power  to 
conserve  life  and  thus  afford  him  an  adequate  force  to 
attain  his  objective.  This  provision  was  very  largely 
taken  advantage  of  during  the  war  in  France,  thereby 
adding  greatly  to  the  comfort  and  well-being  of  the 
troops  and  unquestionably  maintaining  their  morale 
and  discipline. 

The  recommendation  made  by  the  Quartermaster 
General  in  June,  1917,  for  authority  to  issue  cigarettes, 
tobacco  and  matches  to  the  troops  in  France  was  not 
approved;  but  later  on  was  granted  at  the  request  of 
General  Pershing.  How  thoroughly  this  was  appreci- 
ated the  records  of  the  several  Welfare  associations 
which  made  similar  distributions  to  the  troops  will 
attest. 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  the  years  1915,  1916, 
1917,  a  camp  was  maintained  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Navy  League,  to  train  young 
women  along  such  lines  as  they  would  be  capable  of 
rendering  service  in  time  of  war.  The  ration  issued 
at  those  camps  was  the  Army  ration,  and  was  prepared 
by  cooks  who  were  graduated  from  the  School  for 
Bakers  and  Cooks  at  Washington  Barracks,  using  the 
Army  field  cooking  equipment ;  and  the  bread  was  baked 
in  an  Army  field  oven  by  an  instructor  at  the  Washing- 
ton Barracks  School.  The  universal  satisfaction  given 
by  the  camp  mess  is  surely  an  evidence  of  the  adapt- 


SUPPLIES  105 

ability  of  the  Army  ration,  and  was  a  further  proof,  if 
any  were  needed,  that  it  was  a  well-balanced  ration  af- 
fording- the  necessary  variety  in  diet. 

EMERGENCY   RATION 

In  1901,  an  emergency  ration  was  adopted  for  troops 
on  active  campaign  or  in  the  field.  It  was  composed 
of  dried  ground  wheat  and  dessicated  beef,  with  salt 
and  pepper  added,  and  also  three  cakes  of  sweet  choco- 
late. When  it  was  first  adopted  the  law  authorized  the 
issue  of  only  one  ration  a  day,  and,  consequently,  when 
the  emergency  ration  was  used  the  garrison  ration  could 
not  be  drawn ;  forced  issues  of  the  emergency  ration 
therefore  created  a  prejudice  against  it.  About  the 
year  1906  a  law  was  secured  authorizing  the  issue  of 
the  emergency  ration,  in  addition  to  the  regular  ration 
to  troops  on  active  campaign  or  in  the  field  for  pur- 
poses of  instruction.  Only  one  firm  manufactured  this 
ration,  and  in  order  to  keep  the  machinery  installed  and 
ready  for  operation  in  time  of  war,  it  was  necessary  to 
purchase  about  100,000  rations  a  year  costing  over 
$30,000  annually.  Orders  were  issued  directing  the  use 
of  the  emergency  rations  three  days  a  year,  and  this 
would  have  consumed  the  number  necessary  to  keep 
the  machinery  installed  and  in  operation.  The  orders 
were  disregarded ;  and  later  an  emergency  ration,  con- 
sisting of  cholocate,  nucleo  casein,  dessicated  eggs  and 
sugar  was  devised  with  the  cooperation  of  the  Bureau 
of  Chemistry,  Department  of  Agriculture.     This  ration 


106       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

met  with  favor  among  the  troops  and  stringent  instruc- 
tions against  its  use  except  under  orders  had  to  be 
issued.  The  chocolate  ration  could  he  manufactured 
in  any  quantity  desired  when  needed,  and  therefore  the 
carrying  of  a  large  stock  on  hand  was  not  necessary. 
After  a  test  for  over  four  years  in  the  Philippine 
Islands  to  determine  its  keeping  qualities,  chemical  and 
bacteriological  tests  being  conducted  every  six  months, 
the  ration  finally  received  the  approval  of  the  Surgeon 
General  and  was  adopted.  Shortly  after  its  adoption, 
Doctor  Langworthy  of  the  Bureau  of  Experimental 
Tests,  Department  of  Agriculture,  stated  his  readiness 
to  undertake  the  tests  of  the  emergency  rations  which 
had  been  requested  some  years  before,  but  could  not  then 
be  undertaken  as  some  other  tests  were  then  being  con- 
ducted. A  number  of  the  chocolate  emergency  rations 
were  provided  and  they  were  subjected  to  the  digestive 
test,  as  a  result  of  which  a  report  was  submitted,  and 
based  upon  this  the  approval  of  the  ration  by  the  Sur- 
geon General  was  withdrawn.  The  Quartermaster  Corps 
was  directed  to  take  up  the  question  of  the  selection  of  a 
suitable  ration  with  Doctor  Langworthy.  An  excellent 
ration  was  produced,  which  it  was  hoped  would  be, 
adopted  by  cracker  manufacturers  and  manufactured 
for  sale  to  the  public.  This  expectation,  unfortunately, 
was  never  realized  and  only  one  possible  manufacturer 
of  the  ration  was  found,  and  the  price  was  considered 
impossible  of  acceptance. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  secure  enforcement  of  the 
order  requiring  the  use  of  the  emergency  ration  three 


SUPPLIES  107 

days  a  year,  a  ration  which  was  in  every  way  suitable 
had  to  be  abandoned.  The  firm  manufacturing  it  had 
dismantled  and  junked  the  machinery.  At  first  this 
was  not  an  embarrassment,  as  the  authorities  in  France, 
in  reply  to  a  question,  had  stated  that  no  emergency 
rations  would  be  needed.  Later  when  requisition  for 
emergency  rations  was  received  from  France,  it  was 
found  difficult,  due  to  the  conditions  existing  at  that 
time  in  the  country  because  of  the  war,  to  construct 
the  machinery  required  for  manufacturing  the  rations. 
But  notwithstanding  such  handicap  the  several  millions 
of  the  1901  emergency  rations  were  supplied  in  an  in- 
credibly short  time. 

In  the  year  1905,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the 
Commissary  General  of  Subsistence,  a  School  for  Bak- 
ers and  Cooks  was  established  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas. 
This  School  opened  under  the  direction  of  Captain  M. 
S.  Murray  of  the  Subsistence  Department,  and  justified 
its  establishment  from  the  very  first.  Captain  Murray 
was  succeeded  by  Captain  (now  Colonel)  Lucius  E.. 
Holbrook,  a  Cavalry  officer,  and  the  excellent  work  of 
the  School  was  continued  and  enlarged  upon.  The  loca- 
tion of  the  School  was  fortunate,  for  it  soon  attracted  a 
number  of  the  Cavalry  officers  who  were  attending  the 
other  schools  at  that  post,  and,  furthermore,  it  received 
considerable  asistance  by  the  interest  taken  in  it  by  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  post,  Brigadier  General  E.  S. 
Godfrey. 

Later  other  similar  schools  were  opened  at  Washing- 
ton Barracks  and  the  Presidio  of  San  Francisco,  and 


108       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

still  later  other  schools  were  established  at  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  and  at  Honolulu  and  in  the  Philippine  Islands. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  these  schools  con- 
tributed very  largely  to  the  success  of  the  training 
camps  for  officers  which  were  established  at  Plattsburgh, 
New  York,  as  the  personnel  of  some  of  the  schools  were 
sent  there  to  operate  the  Bakery  and  conduct  the  messes. 
The  personnel  of  one  of  these  schools  also  operated  the 
Bakery  at  the  Veterans'  Reunion  at  Gettysburg. 

As  previously  stated,  the  number  of  officers  on  duty 
in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  could  not  be 
increased  without  first  securing  authority.  Authoriza- 
tion was  given  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1917,  to 
assign  an  officer  to  duty  in  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  to  have  charge  of  the  organization  of  the 
Bakery  Companies  needed  in  the  new  Army.  Captain 
L.  L.  Deitrick,  now  Lieutenant  Colonel,  was  selected  for 
this  detail,  and  assigned  to  the  charge  of  the  Bakery 
Branch,  which  was  then  connected  with  the  Adminis- 
trative Division  of  the  Office.  The  subject  is  treated  of 
here  as  it  falls  more  logically  in  an  account  of  the  work 
of  subsisting  the  Army. 

Captain  Deitrick  had  organized  the  School  for  Bakers 
and  Cooks  in  the  Southern  Department,  and  had  pre- 
pared, with  the  assistance  of  several  other  officers,  who 
were  authorities  on  the  subjects,  the  new  manuals  for 
Bakers  and  Cooks  which  were  issued  in  1916.  In  order 
to  facilitate  the  work  of  establishing  Bakeries  for  the 
militia  organization  on  the  Mexican  border,  Captain 
Deitrick  had  secured  the  names  of  all  graduate  mess 


SUPPLIES  109 

sergeants  and  cooks  as  well  as  bakers  from  the  army 
schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas, 
Washington  Barracks,  D.  C,  the  Presidio  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  and  Fort  Sam  Houston,  Texas,  from 
the  time  of  the  organization  of  each  of  these  schools. 
He  also  ascertained  the  names  of  the  men  who  were  still 
in  the  service,  and  in  what  organization  they  were 
located.  A  card  index  was  prepared  showing  the  mili- 
tary records  of  these  men  and  the  organization  with 
the  idea  of  keeping  track  of  them  for  future 
emergencies. 

Captain  Deitrick  reported  June  14,  1917,  and  was 
given  charge  of  all  matters  relating  to  the  organization 
of  the  Schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  to  be  opened  in  the 
cantonments  and  the  organization  of  the  new  Bakery 
Companies  for  the  new  Army.  While  the  personnel 
and  control  of  the  Bakery  Companies  was  under  the 
Quartermaster  General,  the  control  of  the  different 
schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  and  their  personnel  was, 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  under  the  Adjutant  General. 

The  Quartermaster  General  had  been  directed  to  or- 
ganize and  supervise  a  system  of  training  for  Bakers 
and  Cooks  for  the  new  Army,  and  in  order  to  coordinate 
the  work  of  his  office  on  June  11,  1917,  recommended 
that  the  Schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  in  the  territorial 
limits  of  the  United  States  and  their  management  and 
personnel  be  placed  under  him,  as  the  cooks  and  bakers 
were  so  intimately  connected  with  a  supply  depart- 
ment, and  that  suggestion  was  the  only  possible  method 


110       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

of  handling  the  problem.     The  recommendation  above 
was  not  approved. 

As  previously  stated,  the  Schools  for  Bakers  and 
Cooks  were  first  established  in  1905,  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  then  Commissary  General  of  Sub- 
sistence. The  personnel  remained  for  several  years 
under  his  direction  and  control,  and,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  very  little  encouragement  and  assistance. 
was  given  by  the  General  Staff,  the  Schools  from  the 
very  first  demonstrated  their  incalculable  value  to  the 
Line  of  the  Army.  Upon  the  establishment  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  the  control  and  administration 
of  the  personnel  of  the  Schools  was  vested  in  the  Quar- 
termaster General.  Shortly  after  that  time  the  person- 
nel of  those  schools  was  transferred  to  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral and  a  policy  was  adopted  in  regard  to  the  rating  of 
the  non-commissioned  instructors  at  the  schools  which 
resulted  in  many  of  them  securing  their  discharge  from, 
fhe  Service,  and  the  efficiency  of  the  schools  was  seri- 
ously threatened.  Fortunately  about  the  year  1914 
Colonel  S.  G.  Jones,  a  Cavalry  Officer,  was  on  duty 
with  the  General  Staff.  This  officer  had  made  a  study 
of  and  was  an  expert  on  matters  relating  to  Baking  and 
Cooking  and  largely  through  his  efforts  the  former 
rating  of  the  instructors  was  restored  and  it  was  possible 
to  secure  the  reenlistment  of  many  who  had  received 
their  discharge.  If  this  had  not  been  done  it  is  a  serious 
question  whether  it  would  have  been  possible  to  or- 
ganize the  schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  needed  for  the 
new  Army,  and  thus  make  it  possible  to  subsist  the  men 


SUPPLIES  111 

as  adequately  and  efficiently  as  they  were  during  the 
war.  Colonel  Jones  deserves  credit  for  making  it  pos- 
sible to  properly  organize  the  new  schools. 

After  the  transfer  above  referred  to  all  matters  relat- 
ing to  the  course  of  instruction  and  other  technical  sub- 
jects were  still  referred  to  the  Quartermaster  General 
for  recommendation,  as  there  were  no  experts  on  those 
subjects  in  the  Adjutant  General's  Department.  For 
instance,  when  new  manuals  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  were 
to  be  issued,  the  Quartermaster  General  was  directed 
to  have  them  prepared.  This  was  done  in  1916.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  the  Quartermaster  Corps  prov- 
vided  the  personnel  for  the  Field  Bakery  Companies 
and  the  propriety  of  giving  to  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral the  control  and  direction  of  the  instructors  at 
schools,  which  provided  one  class  of  the  twenty-seven 
trades  to  be  furnished  from  the  personnel  of  that  Corps 
is  indicated.  The  Adjutant  General  being  charged  with 
the  duty  of  providing  special  men  for  organization,  in- 
cluding cooks,  among  such  classification,  had  had  in- 
serted in  the  appropriation  bill  an  item  authorizing  the 
enlistment  of  1,200  competent  cooks  as  Sergeants,  First 
Class,  Quartermaster  Corps,  for  the  duration  of  the 
war  only. 

On  July  21,  1917,  the  Quartermaster  General  was 
directed  to  make  preliminary  messing  arrangements  for 
all  organizations  at  their  respective  cantonments. 

In  May,  1917,  a  letter  had  been  received  at  the  War 
Department  from  Mrs.  Thomas  Robins,  of  New  York, 
stating  that  she  had  enlisted  the  interest  of  Mr.  L.  M. 


112        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Boomer,  the  director  of  the  Waldorf,  McAlpin  and 
Claridge  hotels  in  New  York,  whose  head  chef  was 
training  at  the  School  of  Practical  Arts  at  Columbia 
University  sixteen  experienced  cooks  in  the  use  of  the 
Army  ration.  Mr.  Edouard  Panchard,  the  head  chef 
above  referred  to,  also  wrote  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  ex- 
pressing his  desire  and  that  of  other  prominent  chefs 
in  New  York  to  assist  in  training  of  cooks.  Under 
the  supervision  of  Colonel  Coleman,  who  at  that,  time 
was  in  charge  of  Bakery  matters  in  the  Central  De- 
partment, with  the  cooperation  of  the  faculty  of  Dun- 
woodie  Institute  in  Minnesota  about  forty  bakers  were 
trained  during  the  summer  of  1917. 

The  training  of  Cooks  and  Bakers  for  an  Army  is 
an  entirely  different  matter  to  qualifying  men  for  such 
work  in  civil  life.  For  in  the  field  the  cooks  must 
prepare  the  meals  out  of  doors  in  all  conditions  of  the 
weather,  and  with  very  limited  facilities  as  to  ranges, 
sometimes  in  a  pouring  rain,  and  must  learn  to  do  so 
with  the  least  possible  consumption  of  fuel.  The  meals 
must  be  ready  exactly  on  time,  and  furthermore  the 
cooks  must  learn  to  conserve  food,  how  to  dispose  of  the 
refuse  and  to  take  all  necessary  sanitary  precautions 
to  protect  the  food  while  being  prepared.  The  bakers 
must  learn  to  set  the  sponge  for  bread  in  tents  and  at 
temperatures  sometimes  many  degrees  below  freezing, 
and  learn  expedients  whereby  under  such  conditions  a 
proper  temperature  for  the  growth  of  the  yeast  plant 
will  be  maintained.  About  1910,  under  the  command 
of  General  F.  D.  Grant,  a  camp  of  regular  troops  was 


SUPPLIES  113 

established  on  the  Lake  Front  in  Chicago.  At  this 
camp  there  was  a  field  bakery  to  provide  bread  for  the 
command,  and  all  the  Baking  Trade  Journals  called 
attention  to  the  excellent  quality  of  the  bread  produced, 
and  particularly  to  the  fact  that  the  sponge  was  set  and 
developed,  the  dough  moulded  and  proofed  at  tempera- 
tures on  many  occasions  several  degrees  below  freezing. 
It  was  noted  as  a  wonderful  accomplishment  and  is  a 
tribute  to  the  efficiency  and  practicability  of  the  course 
of  instruction  given  at  the  Schools  for  Bakers  and 
Cooks. 

The  Quartermaster  General,  after  the  receipt  of  the 
instructions  above  noted  stated  in  an  interview  with  the 
Secretary  of  War  that  in  order  to  remove  any  possible 
source  of  complaint  when  the  newly  drafted  men  arrived 
at  the  camps  it  should  be  possible  to  serve  them  with 
hot  meals  immediately  upon  arrival;  that  there  was 
not  a  sufficient  number  of  cooks  in  the  Army  to  pre- 
pare those  meals,  and  it  was  recommended  authority 
be  granted  to  hire  the  requisite  number  of  civilian  cooks 
for  the  necessary  time  and  to  retain  such  men  until  they 
could  instruct  men  from  the  draft;  that  the  Schools 
for  Bakers  and  Cooks  could  not  provide  the  men,  as  two 
months  would  be  required  to  graduate  them  as  trained 
cooks;  and  that  hot  meals  immediately  upon  arrival 
at  the  cantonments  were  needed.  In  reply  to  a  question 
the  Quartermaster  General  stated  that  it  would  cost 
over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  in  his  estimation 
that  any  means  to  provide  the  hot  meals  under  the 
emergency  should  be  adopted  and  the  emergency  justi- 


114       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

fied  the  expense.  The  Secretary  of  War  at  once  author- 
ized the  expenditure  and  instructed  that  steps  be  taken 
to  carry  out  the  plan. 

A  meeting  was,  therefore,  called  in  the  office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General,  which  was  attended  by  Mr. 
Joseph  Bifield  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Cecil  D.  Gregg  of  St. 
Louis,  Mr.  Edouard  Panchard  of  New  York  and  others. 
The  Quartermaster  General  informed  the  meeting  that 
687,000  men  would  report  at  sixteen  different  canton- 
ments about  September  1st;  that  hot  meals  should  be 
ready  for  the  men  on  arrival ;  that  ranges,  cooking 
utensils,  mess  equipment  and  food  supplies  would  be 
on  hand,  but  the  necessary  cooks  to  prepare  them  were 
not  available,  and  requested  that  the  Hotel  Keepers 
Associations,  acting  in  cooperation  with  the  Chefs  As- 
sociation would  undertake  the  task  of  providing  the 
cooks ;  that  about  12,000  cooks  were  needed  in  order  to 
provide  three  for  each  organization  but,  as  in  all  prob- 
ability that  number  could  not  be  secured,  at  least  3,600, 
allowing  one  cook  for  each  organization,  must  be  pro- 
vided. For  surely  the  Hotel  Keepers  Association  of 
America  could  not  have  it  said  that  they  were  unwilling 
to  undertake  the  biggest,  problem  ever  given  to  such 
associations  before. 

It  was  announced  that  Mr.  Joseph  Bifield  would  be 
appointed  Chairman  and  Mr.  Cecil  D.  Gregg,  Vice 
Chairman,  and  that  they  should  select  a  committee  of 
sixteen,  one  for  each  cantonment ;  each  of  these  sixteen 
committeemen  to  correspond  with  an  officer  to  be  desig- 


SUPPLIES  115 

nated  who  would  give  all   information   required  con- 
cerning the  cantonment  for  which  he  acted. 

The  following  officers  were  assigned  for  the  duty 
above  referred  to: 

Lieut.  Colonel  Sherrard  Coleman,  Quartermaster 
Corps,  on  duty  at  Headquarters  Central  Department, 
who  had  charge  of  the  organizing  of  six  National  Army 
Camps. 

Major  C.  Emory  Hathaway  on  duty  at  Headquarters 
Western  Department,  who  had  charge  of  three  camps. 

Major  James  C.  Pegram,  Quartermaster  Corps,  on 
duty  at  Headquarters  Southern  Department,  in  charge 
of  six  camps. 

Major  William  H.  Smith,  Quartermaster  Corps,  on 
duty  at  Headquarters  Southeastern  Department,  in 
charge  of  ten  camps. 

Major  Alexander  M.  Milton,  Quartermaster  Corps, 
who  relieved  Major  Dickey  in  the  Southern  Depart- 
ment. 

Major  Stewart  C.  Elting,  Quartermaster  Corps,  who 
relieved  Major  Smith  in  the  Southeastern  Department. 

Major  Ralph  Talbot  who  relieved  Major  Elting  in 
the  Southeastern  Department. 

The  above  regular  officers  are  all  Cavalry  men  who 
had  taken  the  course  in  baking  and  cooking  at  Fort 
Riley,  while  on  duty  at  the  Mounted  Service  School. 

The  following  were  selected  as  the  District  Chair- 
men: 

No.  1.  Arthur  L.  Race,  Brandon  Hotel,  Brookline^ 
Mass. 


116       THE  QUARTERMASTER  COKPS 

No.  2.  L.  M.  Boomer,  Hotel  McAlpin,  New  York 
City,  N.  Y. 

No.  3.  John  McGlynn,  Hotel  Eensselaer,  Troy, 
N.  Y. 

No.  4.  J.  M.  Frazier,  Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

No.  5.  F.  S.  Hight,  New  Willard  Hotel,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

No.  6.  J.  B.  Bector,  Beed  House,  Chattanooga, 
Tenn. 

No.  7.     J.  Lee  Barnes,  Majestic  Hotel,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

No.  8.  J.  Stacy  Hill,  Hotel  Gibson,  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

No.  9.     Otto  Seelbach,   Seelbach  Hotel,  Louisville, 

Ky. 

No.  10.     Bay  Smith,  Hotel  Pfister,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

No.  11.  Laurence  Adams,  Brevoort  Hotel,  Chicago, 
111. 

No.  12.  W.  N.  Trulock,  Hotel  Jefferson,  Pine 
Bluff,  Ark. 

No.  13.  Eugene  Eppley,  Hotel  Martin,  Sioux  City, 
Iowa. 

No.  14.  Sam  J.  Whitmore,  Muehlebach  Hotel, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

No.  15.  Percy  Tyrrell,  Hotel  Gunter,  San  An- 
tonio, Texas. 

No.  16.  L.  M.  Davenport,  Davenport  Hotel,  Spo- 
kane, Washington. 

Instructions  were  given  that  the  cooks  must  be  at 
the  camps  by  August  20th,  that  they  would  be  trans- 
ported to  the  camps  and  returned  to  their  homes  if 
their  services  had  been  honest  and  faithful;  otherwise 
they   would   be  discharged   and   return   transportation 


SUPPLIES  117 

not  furnished.  Especial  emphasis  was  laid  upon  the 
absolute  cleanliness  of  the  men. 

Instructions  were  also  given  to  supply  each  canton- 
ment with  ten  thousand  sets  of  mess  equipment,  which 
would  be  available  for  the  men  immediately  on  arrival ; 
such  equipment  is  in  the  field  supplied  by  the  Ordnance 
Department,  but  would  not  be  available  for  the  men  on 
arrival. 

The  first  problem  was  to  provide  Bakery  Companies 
necessary  to  produce  bread  for  an  army  of  three  million 
men;  second,  and  even  more  difficult,  to  provide  cooks 
and  messing  arrangements  for  this  new  army  and  to 
coordinate  the  work  of  numerous  civilians  and  civilian 
organizations,  who  desired  to  train  cooks  and  to  provide 
food  and  messing  facilities,  as  well  as  to  start  schools 
for  training  army  cooks. 

WITH    REFERENCE    TO    THE    FIRST    PROBLEM 

There  were  on  hand  in  the  United  States  nine  Bakery 
Companies  with  a  strength  of  four  officers  and  approx- 
imately 450  enlisted  men.  These  were  all  located  in 
the  Southern  Department.  The  companies  were  fully 
equipped,  and  there  was  sufficient  equipment  in  reserve 
on  hand  in  the  various  depots  to  supply  three  more  con  - 
panies,  or  twelve  in  all.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  to 
order  at  once  equipment  for  one  hundred  new  Bakery 
Companies  to  take  care  of  this  new  army,  and  to  use 
every  effort  to  expedite  delivery  of  sufficient  of  this 
equipment  within  three  months  from  the  date  the  order 
was  placed.     This  was  done. 


118       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

It  was  also  necessary  to  provide  for  an  expansion  of 
these  nine  Bakery  Companies  with  a  personnel  of  450 
men  into  88  Bakery  Companies  with  a  personnel  of 
8,880  enlisted  men  within  a  period  of  six  months. 
This  was  also  done,  although  in  order  to  accomplish 
the  task  it  was  necessary  to  establish  at  once  schools  at 
which  officers  and  enlisted  men  could  be  trained  as 
bakers.  These  schools  were  established  and  by  January 
1,  1918,  170  officers  and  approximately  9,000  enlisted 
men  had  been  trained  and  were  serving  as  army  bakers. 

Prior  to  the  War  the  authorized  strength  of  a  Bakery 
Company  was  one  officer  and  sixty-one  enlisted  men. 
When  it  was  learned  that  the  size  of  a  division  in  our 
army  would  be  increased  materially,  it  was  necessary 
to  draft  new  regulations  increasing  the  strength  of  a 
Bakery  Company  to  two  officers  and  101  enlisted  men 
and  increasing  the  equipment  from  twelve  units  to 
fifteen  units  or  fifteen  field  ovens.  The  new  regula- 
tions were  prepared  in  June,  and  on  July  16th  the 
Quartermaster  General  secured  authority  to  proceed 
with  the  organization  of  88  new  Bakery  Companies  at 
the  increased  strength. 

On  August  30th,  or  within  six  weeks,  thirty  of  these 
new  Bakery  Companies  had  been  organized,  equipped 
and  trained  and  were  on  hand  to  produce  bread  for  the 
National  Army  and  the  National  Guard  when  they  were 
ordered  into  camp  September  1st.  On  January  1st, 
88  of  the  Companies  with  a  trained  personnel  of  ap- 
proximately 8,880  enlisted  men  had  been  organized  and 
the  enlisted  men  trained  in  their  duties  as  bakers. 


SUPPLIES  119 

WITH  REFERENCE  TO  THE  SECOND  PROBLEM 

The  second  problem  was  to  provide  cooks  and  messing 
arrangements,  kitchen  equipment  and  mess  equipment 
for  the  new  army,  and  to  coordinate  the  work  of  numer- 
ous patriotic  civilians  who  desired  to  assist  in  this, 
work.     This  was  more  difficult  than  the  preceding  one. 

Prior  to  July,  1917,  there  had  been  four  army  schools 
for  bakers  and  cooks  in  the  United  States.  These 
schools  had  an  average  capacity  of  about  one  hundred 
students.  It  was  customary  for  the  regular  army  or- 
ganization to  detach  men  and  send  them  to  these  schools 
to  be  instructed  as  cooks  or  bakers. 

Numerous  patriotic  civilians  had  volunteered  their 
services  to  instruct  cooks,  and  to  organize  schools  to 
provide  the  necessary  cooks.  It  was  decided,  however, 
that  this  would  be  impracticable,  as  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  separate  the  students  from  their  organizations 
and  send  them  to  various  cities  for  instruction  where 
there  would  be  no  supervision  over  them  by  the  army 
authorities.  As  it  required  approximately  12,000  cooks 
for  the  first  draft  of  the  National  Army  alone,  it  is 
apparent  that  it  would  have  been  impracticable  to  have 
these  men  scattered  broadcast  throughout  the  country 
without  proper  means  of  disciplining  them,  training 
them  or  feeding  them.  It  was  decided  that  the  only 
practicable  method  to  solve  this  problem  would  be  to 
train  the  cooks  for  the  Army  in  their  own  kitchens  and 
to  establish  schools  at  every  large  camp  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  division  commanders  in  order  to  carry  this 


120       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

work  out,  and  to  train  the  bakers  and  cooks  under  mili- 
tary supervision  and  control  where  more  satisfactory  re- 
sults could  be  obtained. 

The  most  vital  problem  to  be  considered  was  the 
means  of  feeding  the  new  National  Army,  which  was 
about  to  be  assembled  in  unorganized  masses  in  the 
sixteen  National  Army  camps.  These  camps  were  not 
organized  or  provided  with  officers,  mess  sergeants  or 
cooks  as  the  regular  army  and  National  Guard  were. 
After  more  than  a  month's  delay,  and  on  July  23rd, 
authority  was  finally  secured  from  the  Chief  of  Staff 
to  proceed  with  organizing  of  forces  sufficient  to  look 
after  the  messing  arrangements  and  cooking  arrange- 
ments for  this  National  Army. 

Meanwhile,  early  in  June  plans  had  been  formed  to 
organize  schools  and  Bakery  Companies  at  each  of  the 
National  Army  cantonments.  Five  regular  Army  of- 
ficers, all  Cavalry,  formerly  trained  in  the  School  for 
Bakers  and  Cooks,  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  were  detailed 
on  this  work.  These  officers  were  assigned  one  each  in 
the  five  territorial  departments,  and  sixteen  of  the  most 
competent  non-commissioned  officers,  former  graduates 
from  the  Army  schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks,  who  had 
been  on  duty  at  these  schools  as  instructors,  were  sent  to 
these  officers  to  be  trained  in  administrative  work  and 
in  the  proper  methods  of  organizing  these  new  schools. 
Application  was  made  in  June  for  authority  to  com- 
mission these  sixteen  non-commissioned  officers  as  cap- 
tains to  take  charge  of  new  schools.  They  were  com- 
missioned as  captains  about  August  10th  and  on  August 


SUPPLIES  121 

15th  one  of  these  officers  was  on  hand  at  each  of  the 
sixteen  National  Army  Cantonments,  prepared  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  organization  of  the  new  schools  for  bakers 
and  cooks. 

Prior  to  the  date  that  these  officers  reported  for  duty 
at  the  various  cantonments,  the  following  arrangements 
had  been  made  to  insure  the  success  of  the  undertaking : 

(a)  By  transfer  of  graduate  cooks  and  mess  ser- 
geants from  organizations  of  the  Regular  Army,  and 
by  the  utilization  of  the  enlisted  personnel  of  the  four 
regular  army  schools  for  Bakers  and  Cooks,  an  average 
of  twelve  competent  graduate  mess  sergeants  was  se- 
cured for  each  National  Army  cantonment,  or  ap- 
proximately one  for  each  regiment  of  the  new  army. 
These  men  acted  as  assistants  to  the  officers  in  charge  of 
the  schools. 

(b)  192  officers,  graduates  of  the  first  training  camp, 
were  ordered  by  the  Adjutant  General  to  report  on 
August  15th,  twelve  at  each  National  Army  cantonment 
for  duty  as  regimental  mess  officers,  and  were  instructed 
in  their  new  duties  between  August  15th  and  Sep- 
tember 1st. 

(c)  Civilian  cooks  were  hired  at  the  rate  of  one  to 
each  proposed  kitchen  in  each  cantonment,  and  as- 
sembled on  August  20th  for  instruction  under  the  of- 
ficer and  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  regular  army 
in  a  preliminary  course  of  training  in  handling  the 
army  ration  and  in  the  system  of  accounting  for  the 
ration,  and  preparing  bills  of  fare,  etc. 

(d)  Extracts   of  the  most  essential   parts   of   the 


122       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

manual  for  Army  cooks  were  prepared  by  June,  printed 
in  pamphlet  form  and  distributed  to  each  organization 
of  the  Regular  Army,  National  Army  and  National 
Guard  at  the  rate  of  one  for  each  authorized  cook. 

(e)  Bills  of  fare  were  prepared  for  periods  of  ten 
days  showing  the  ingredients  to  be  used  and  the  amount 
of  each  ingredient  to  be  used  in  the  preparation  of  each 
article  of  the  bill  of  fare.  These  were  distributed  to 
each  cook  of  the  Regular  Army,  National  Army  and 
National  Guard. 

(f )  Requisitions  were  prepared  for  equipment  for 
all  kitchens  and  mess  halls  of  the  proposed  National 
Army  cantonments.  The  property  was  ordered  the  first 
week  in  July  from  the  various  Quartermaster  Depots, 
and  when  not  on  hand,  was  purchased  under  emergency, 
and  followed  up  by  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral until  it  was  delivered  at  the  camps.  By  this  means 
all  of  the  camps  were  fully  equipped  on  August  20th 
and  reports  received  from  the  camps  stating  that  the 
equipment  was  on  hand,  for  file  in  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General. 

(g)  The  table  of  foods  and  ration  articles,  neces- 
sary for  organizations  of  various  sizes  from  50  to  250 
men,  was  prepared  and  sent  to  the  officer  in  charge  of 
the  school  at  each  camp.  This  officer  was  directed  to 
draw  the  supplies  for  each  organization,  which  was 
scheduled  to  be  organized  at  the  camp,  from  the  Camp 
Quartermaster,  and  if  they  were  not  on  hand,  to 
purchase  them  locally,  and  to  place  them  in  each  kitchen 
with  the  equipment  already  provided,  under  charge  of  a 


SUPPLIES  123 

competent  cook  who  was  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the 
bills  of  fare  prepared  for  the  first  ten  days. 

(h)  Plans  for  permanent  bakeries  together  with  a 
list  of  equipment  necessary  for  them  were  turned  over 
to  the  Cantonment  Division.  The  bakeries  were  com- 
pleted by  September  1st  and  ready  to  operate.  In 
order  to  provide  the  equipment,  however,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  purchase  ovens  of  various  kinds  from  the  manu- 
facturers and  send  men  to  the  camps  to  take  charge  of 
the  installation  of  the  ovens  and  equipment. 

(i)  Instructions  were  prepared  by  the  Bakery 
Branch  of  the  Quartermaster  General's  Office  and  sent 
to  each  officer  in  charge  of  one  of  the  new  schools. 
These  instructions  provided  for  every  emergency  that 
could  be  anticipated.  The  officers  followed  the  instruc- 
tions laid  down  and  so  successfully  organized  the 
schools  according  to  the  plans  outlined  that  no  detach- 
ment of  the  National  Army  arrived  at  any  of  the  camps 
at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night  without  finding  a  hot 
meal  ready  to  be  served. 

(j)  Through  the  hearty  cooperation  and  assistance 
of  a  Committee  of  hotel  men  formed  throughout  the 
country,  who  devoted  their  time  and  money  to  the 
task  of  hiring  civilian  cooks  for  temporary  duty  with 
the  National  Army,  the  4,000  cooks  necessary  to  assist 
in  providing  food  for  this  Army  when  it  was  mobilized 
between  the  period  of  August  25th  and  September  15th 
were  secured.  This  association  was  so  organized  that  a 
prominent  hotel  man  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
committee  and  to  take  charge  of  each  cantonment  and 


124       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

cooperate  with  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  school  at  the 
cantonment  in  providing  cooks.  The  schools  were  able 
to  dispense  with  the  services  of  the  civilian  cooks  as 
rapidly  as  mess  sergeants  and  cooks  for  the  National 
Army  were  trained,  and  by  November  1st  most  of  these 
cooks  had  been  discharged. 

On  January  1,  1918,  the  schools  mentioned  above  had 
trained  cooks  for  the  overseas  forces,  the  regular  army, 
National  Guard,  the  National  Army  and  various  inde- 
pendent staff  departments.  It  is  estimated  that  16,000 
mess  sergeants,  50,000  cooks  and  1,200  instructors  in 
cooking  and  9,000  bakers  had  been  trained  in  these 
schools  by  January  1,  1918.  In  addition  180  officers 
had  been  trained  as  bakers  and  in  administrative  and 
technical  work  of  handling  Bakery  Companies,  and  ap- 
proximately 260  officers  had  been  trained  in  duties  of 
an  officer  in  charge  of  the  schools  for  bakers  and  cooks. 

The  Bakery  Branch  had  also  carried  on  a  campaign 
in  conservation  of  food  and  sanitation  from  the  be- 
ginning through  the  agency  of  these  schools.  A  corre- 
spondence course  was  inaugurated  in  the  Bakery 
Branch,  and  through  the  cooperation  of,  the  various 
Division  Commanders  of  the  National  Army  and  Na- 
tional Guard  camps,  great  improvements  were  made  in 
conservation  of  food  and  in  sanitation. 

This  work  was  successful  from  the  beginning  and 
was  the  cause  of  many  favorable  comments  from  the 
various  Division  Commanders  as  well  as  from  various 
prominent  civilians  who  were  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  troops  and  who  visited  and  inspected  these  camps. 


SUPPLIES  125 

There  was  a  sufficient  number  of  graduates  from 
the  School  for  Bakers  and  Cooks  at  the  Presidio  of  San 
Francisco  to  more  than  provide  the  initial  number  of 
cooks  needed  at  Camp  Lewis.  These  men  were  called 
back  into  service  and  the  excess  number  distributed 
among  other  camps ;  thus  amply  justifying  the  wisdom 
of  establishing  the  School. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  the  statements  made  con- 
cerning the  subsistence  of  the  Army  in  the  year  1917 
in  the  World  War : 

At  a  hearing  before  the  Committee  on  Military 
Affairs  of  the  House  of  Representatives  on  January  7, 
1918,  explanation  of  the  arrangements  made  to  provide 
hot  meals  for  the  selective  draft  men  on  arrival  at  the 
contonments  was  made;  and  Mr.  Tilson,  a  member  of 
the  Committee,  said :  "By  way  of  corroborating  what 
General  Sharpe  has  said,  I  saw  that  system  in  operation 
at  one  of  the  camps  where  I  watched  the  first  forty  per 
cent  of  the  men  come  in  and  the  order  was  that  there 
should  be  a  hot  meal  ready  for  every  man  within  an 
hour  after  he  reached  the  camp,  and  I  believe  there  was 
only  one  case  in  which  the  company  cook  failed  to  have 
the  meal  ready  when  the  men  arrived.  There  was  only 
one  case  that  I  saw  and  that  company  commander  re- 
ceived quite  a  blowing  up,  as  I  remember." 

Senator  Wadsworth  of  ISTew  York,  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  addressing  the  United 
States  Senate  in  January,  1918,  said:  "Another  thing 
that  we  should  remember  at  this  time  is  that  the  Amer- 
ican Army  is  being  fed  as  well,  if  not  better,  than  any 


126       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

other  army  on  the  face  of  the  earth  during  this  period, 
and  the  credit  for  that  great  task,  the  training  of  soldier 
cooks  in  the  Quartermaster  Cooking  Schools  and  in 
putting  them  to  work  in  the  cantonments  in  time  to 
serve  a  hot  meal,  the  first  meal,  to  the  soldiers  as  they 
arrive  in  the  cantonments;  the  credit  for  that  ought 
not  to  be  denied.  It  is  one  of  the  things  in  which 
foresight,  and  organizing  ability  were  shown,  and  we 
ought  to  be  grateful  for  it,  and  I  am  glad  to  pay  tribute 
to  the  officers  and  men  who  accomplished  that  great 
feat." 

Other  commendatory  statements  were  made  by  Sen- 
ator Wadsworth  and  other  Senators  and  members  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  on  subsequent  occasions. 

STATEMENT  MADE  BY  SECRETARY  BAKER  MONDAY,  JANU- 
ARY 28,  1918,  AT  A  HEARING  BEFORE  THE  SENATE 
COMMITTEE    ON    MILITARY   AFFAIRS 

"I  want  to  make  but  one  further  observation  on  this 
general  subject  of  the  Quartermaster  and  Supply  De- 
partment. I  think  it  is  not  unfair  for  me  to  say  that 
in  the  matter  of  provision  of  food,  no  Army  ever  as- 
sembled anywhere  was  fed  as  regularly,  as  well,  as 
nutritiously,  as  appetizingly  as  this  Army.  I  think 
you  gentlemen  of  the  committee,  and  surely  the  men 
in  the  War  Department,  will  agree  that  while  there 
have  been  complaints  about  other  things,  that  the  almost 
universal  testimony  so  far  as  I  know,  and  the  unanimous 
testimony  of  the  Army  is  that  its  food  has  been  of  the 
highest  quality;  that  there  has  been  no  suggestion  of 
defective  quality  or  insufficient  quantity;  that  its  prep- 


SUPPLIES  127 

aration  has  been  of  the  highest  character;  and,  gener- 
ally, that  the  very  great  problem  of  food  supply  of  this 
vast  and  hastily  organized  group  of  men  has  been 
carried  out  with  most  extraordinary  success." 

In  an  address  delivered  August  8,  1918,  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  said : 

"We  have  summoned  into  being  in  the  United  States 
Army  now  pretty  nearly,  if  not  quite,  two  and  a  half 
million  men,  including  those  overseas  and  those  on  this 
side,  and  although  I  stand  at  the  center  of  complaint 
and  criticism,  and  everybody,  it  seems,  in  the  country — 
most  of  them  helpful  I  am  glad  to  say — sends  me  criti- 
cisms and  comments  which  they  have  heard  and  stories 
which  they  think  I  ought  to  know.  I  get  all  the  com- 
plaints, some  of  them  unfounded,  some  of  them 
founded ;  but  from  the  very  first  mobilization  of  the 
Army  until  now  I  have  not  had  a  single  complaint  as  to 
the  food  of  this  vast  Army.  I  do  not  mean  that  there 
have  not  been  complaints  as  to  the  food  which  has  been 
stored,  but  I  mean  that  in  no  camps  in  this  country 
visited  by  fathers  or  friends  attended  by  persons  in 
every  ordinary  walk  of  life,  from  no  camp  have  I  had  a 
criticism  that  the  food  was  insufficient,  that  it  was  un- 
wholesome in  its  character,  that  it  was  not  well  cooked, 
or  did  not  arrive  on  time.  And  today,  I  had  a  letter 
from  General  Pershing  in  which  he  was  commenting 
upon  the  perfection  of  supplies  on  the  other  side,  and 
said  that  not  since  the  Army  had  been  in  France  has  a 
single  man  in  that  Army  had  to  wait  a  minute  for  a 
meal  that  was  due." 

In  April,  1918,  after  we  had  been  in  the  war  a  year, 
the  Washington  correspondent  of  a  great  New  York 


128       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

daily  wrote  to  the  Acting  Quartermaster  General : 

"Greatly  pleased  with  the  record  which  your  Depart- 
ment has  made  in  feeding  the  rapidly  expanding  Amer- 
ican Army  and  avoiding  all  scandal  and  discontent  on 

that  score,   Mr.  ,   Managing  Editor  of  The 

,    wishes  to  publish   a   comprehensive  story, 

showing  how  this  has  been  accomplished.  Here  are 
some  of  the  questions  asked  by  Mr. : 

"Who  is  the  man  who  provides  grub  for  all  the 
camps?  He  appears  to  be  about  the  only  one  against 
whom  no  kicks  have  been  made. 

"Who  is  responsible  for  the  efficiency  at  the  several 
camps  and  for  the  very  excellent  preparation  for  feeding 
the  Army  which  must  have  been  made  long  before 
the  men  were  sent  to  camps  ? 

"Nobody  with  whom  I  have  talked,  including  Army 
officers  who  have  highly  commended  him,  knows  the 
name  of  the  man  or  men  who  are  entitled  to  immediate 
credit.     Who  is  he  or  who  are  they  ?" 

What,  if  any,  reply  was  made  to  that  letter  is  not 
known,  but  surely  the  names  of  the  following  should  be 
mentioned  in  reply,  viz :  Colonel  W.  R.  Grove,  Colonel 
Leonard  L.  Deitrick,  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  H. 
Adams,  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  1ST.  Mcintosh,  Mr.  Joseph 
Bifield,  Mr.  Cecil  D.  Gregg,  and  also  the  following 
officers  in  charge  of  the  Supply  Depots  which  furnished 
the  supplies  required,  viz :  Brigadier  General  John  M. 
Carson,  Colonel  Thomas  H.  Slavens,  Colonel  Hugh  J. 
Gallagher,  Brigadier  General  Albert  D.  Kniskern,  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  William  F.  Clark,  Colonel  George  McK. 
Williamson  and  Major  General  Carroll  A.  Devol. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION 


Clothing  and  equipage — Board  of  Control  of  Labor  Conditions — 
Time  when  troops  could  be  equipped — Calling  troops  in 
advance  of  time  so  designated — Shipping  troops  to  France 
complicated  conditions  as  to  supply — Additional  troops — 
Investigation  by  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Sen- 
ate— Shortages  at  camps — Number  of  men  in  service  of 
United  States  on  December  31,  1917,  who  were  equipped — 
Number  of  men  in  France  December  31,  1917 — Reserve  ship- 
ment of  supplies  to  France — Over  40,000  men  equipped  in 
excess  of  number  which  was  stated  could  be  equipped  by 
December  31,  1917 — Problem  of  supply — Distribution  of  sup- 
plies in  this  country — Fuel  and  forage  branch — Conserva- 
tion and  reclamation  division. 


CLOTHING   AND   EQUIPAGE 

At  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the  purchase 
of  clothing  and  equipage  was  handled  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Clothing  and  Equipage  Branch  of  the 
Supplies  Division,  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

The  large  depot  at  Philadelphia  being  the  main 
clothing  Depot,  practically  all  supplies  of  this  char- 
acter were  received  through  that,  Depot.  Prior  to  1916, 
advertisements  for  supplies  were  made  and  proposals 
received  at  the  depots  in  Philadelphia,  Boston,  New 
York,  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco.  The 
abstract  together  with  the  proposals  were  forwarded 

129 


130       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

to  Washington,  there  consolidated,  and  afterwards  the 
several  depots  authorized  to  make  awards  and  enter 
into  contracts  for  the  supplies  to  be  delivered  to  their 
respective  depots.  In  some  cases  the  contracts  were 
made  at  Philadelphia  and  then  forwarded  to  other 
depots  for  execution  when  the  contractors  stipulated  in 
their  proposals  for  delivery  at  other  places  than  in 
Philadelphia.  The  depots  at  Xew  York,  Philadelphia, 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco  and  San  Antonio 
were  designated  as  reserve  depots  for  Clothing  and 
Equipage  and  troops  in  their  vicinity  were  to  be  sup- 
plied from  them,  but  all  of  these  depots  had  not  been 
furnished  with  adequate  supplies,  as  funds  for  their 
procurement  had  not  been  provided. 

When  the  Militia  was  called  into  service  in  1916, 
complaint  was  made  because  of  the  delay  in  furnishing 
supplies  due  to  the  centralized  system  then  in  vogue; 
consequently  late  in  the  fall  of  1916  orders  were  issued 
establishing  these  depots  for  reserve  and  authorizing 
each  to  purchase  such  of  the  supplies  as  could  be  pro- 
cured in  their  immediate  territory;  those  which 
could  not  be  so  procured  were  to  be  obtained 
from  the  Philadelphia  Depot.  This  system  was 
not  put  into  effect  during  the  war  because 
the  total  lack  of  supplies  and  the  enormous  quan- 
tity required  necessitated  a  centralized  control  of  pur- 
chase and  manufacture.  It  is  noted  here,  however,  as 
that  Zone  System  of  Supply  was  later  put  into  effect 
when  ample  reserves  had  been  secured  and  the  purchase 
and  manufacture  had  been  coordinated  and  sufficient 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  131 

funds  were  available.  In  1909  a  policy  was  adopted 
by  the  War  Department  of  establishing  four  or  five 
depots,  to  be  known  as  Reserve  Depots,  in  which  were 
to  be  placed  the  supplies  required  to  bring  the  organiza- 
tions in  the  territories  supplied  by  each  depot  respect- 
ively to  a  war  strength ;  adequate  funds,  however,  had 
been  appropriated  for  the  Reserve  Depot  at  Phila- 
delphia only. 

When  the  National  Guard  was  mustered  into  the 
Federal  Service,  under  call  of  the  President  of  June  18, 
1916,  it  was  found  that  paragraph  455a,  Army  Regula- 
tions, 1913,  had  not  been  generally  complied  with,  in 
that  many  States  were  deficient  in  equipment.  The 
regulation  referred  to  is  as  follows : 

Governors  of  States  and  Territories  and  the  commanding 
general  of  the  District  of  Columbia  Militia  are  required  at  all 
times  to  keep  on  hand  either  at  the  various  company  armories 
or  in  suitable  storehouses,  a  sufficient  supply  of  arms,  uni- 
forms, and  equipment  to  completely  equip  for  the  field  the 
minimum  number  of  men  prescribed  by  the  President  for  each 
organization,  so  that  on  being  called  into  the  service  any 
organization  will  be  completely  equipped  from  the  stores  on 
hand  in  the  State,  Territory,  or  the  District  of  Columbia  with- 
out calling  on  the  War  Department  for  assistance. 

The  muster  in  of  these  organizations  developed 
shortages  in  equipment  amounting  to  $4,192,054.40 
based  on  peace  strength,  and  $0,940,447.30  for  equip- 
ment to  bring  them  to  war  strength,  or  a  total  deficit 
of  $11,132,511.82  in  peace  and  war  strength  require- 
ments combined. 

There  was  in  stock  at  the  Philadelphia  depot,  as  :i 


132       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

reserve,  in  addition  to  the  stock  at  that  and  other 
depots,  for  current  requirements,  clothing  and  equipage 
amounting  to  $5,258,547.23,  and  materials  for  the 
manufacture  of  clothing  and  tentage  amounting  to  $1,- 
016,725,  a  total  of  $6,275,272.23,  or  $4,857,239.59  less 
than  required  to  equip  the  organizations  called  into  the 
Federal  service  at  war  strength. 

The  records  of  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral show  that  the  department  endeavored  to  secure 
funds  from  time  to  time  sufficient  to  acquire  a  reason- 
able reserve  of  cloth  and  materials  for  the  manufacture 
of  clothing,  but  appropriations  were  not  made  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  estimates  as  originally  submitted. 
The  following  summary  shows  the  efforts  of  the  Quar- 
termaster General  to  secure  funds  for  the  accumulation 
of  a  suitable  reserve  and  the  amounts  finally  appro- 
priated : 

Total   funds  for   procurement   of  reserve   clothing 
estimated     for     by     Quartermaster     General's 

Office,  1909  to  1916,  inclusive,  eight  fiscal  years  $12,656,159.50 

Total  approved  by  the  War  Department 6,330,295.66 

Reduction  made  by  the  War  Department 6,325,863.84 

Appropriated  by  Congress 4,121,534.61 

Reduction  made  by  Congress  of  estimates  as  sub- 
mitted by  War  Department 2,208,761.05 

Total  reduction   8,534,624.89 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  reductions  to  the  extent 
of  $1,066,023.99  were  made  by  the  War  Department 
in  the  estimates  for  current  requirements,  clothing  and 
equipage.  Congress  further  reduced  this  item  to  the 
extent  of  $117,000,  making  a  total  reduction  of  $1,- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  133 

183,023.99  under  current  requirements,  and  $8,534,- 
624.89  for  reserve,  a  grand  total  of  $9,717,648.88,  rep- 
resenting equipment  of  clothing  and  equipage  for  field 
service  of  approximately  138,000  men,  or  one  outfit  for 
approximately  200,000  men.  (Annual  Report  o±  the 
Quartermaster  General — 1917. ) 

It  will  be  noted  from  this  that  the  War  Department 
reduced  the  Quartermaster's  estimates  by  fifty  per 
centum,  and  that  Congress  appropriated  only  one-third 
of  the  original  estimates.  The  reduction  by  the  War 
Department  of  the  estimates  for  current  requirements 
and  the  further  reduction  of  this  estimate  by  Congress 
had  a  most  serious  result,  as  it  practically  reduced  by 
that  amount  the  appropriation  for  the  reserve;  as  the 
current  requirements  of  the  men  actually  in  the  service 
must  be  provided  for. 

As  the  question  of  preparedness  had  not  been  brought 
before  the  people  of  the  country  until  1916,  it  may 
fairly  be  assumed  that  Congress  was  justified  in  not 
making  large  appropriations  for  that  purpose.  But  the 
appropriations  were  not  large,  and  should  have  been 
made,  particularly  for  the  greatly  reduced  amounts 
which  the  War  Department  approved.  Furthermore, 
the  reduction  made  by  the  War  Department  was  not  in 
consequence  of  a  change  in  policy  regarding  the  estab- 
lishment of  Reserve  Depots.  That  policy  was  still 
maintained,  but  the  Quartermaster  Corps  did  not  re- 
ceive approval  of  its  efforts  to  secure  the  necessary  funds 
to  carry  it  into  execution. 

The  result  was  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  the 


134       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

depots  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  were  almost  com- 
pletely exhausted;  and,  furthermore,  liabilities  were 
contracted  for  the  supplies  required  for  the  troops  on 
the  Mexican  border,  as  the  troops  were  retained  in  serv- 
ice beyond  the  time  for  which  funds  for  their  support 
had  been  obtained  from  Congress,  as  in  accordance  with 
the  instructions  given  to  the  Quartermaster  General  in 
the  Fall  of  1916  the  estimates  were  prepared  under 
most  of  the  appropriations  for  the  Corps  to  cover  the 
time  to  about  October  31,  1916.  As  the  militia  were 
held  in  service  long  after  that  time,  a  deficiency  of  about 
$34,000,000  resulted,  and  as  the  General  Deficiency 
Bill  failed  to  pass  Congress  on  its  adjournment  March 
4,  1917,  the  great  embarrassment  of  having  to  prepare 
for  war  with  no  funds  available  and  with  a  large  in- 
debtedness outstanding  was  placed  upon  the  Corps. 

In  the  early  part  of  1917  it  became  apparent  that 
the  United  States  would  shortly  be  drawn  into  the  world 
conflict.  In  anticipation  of  this  it  was  decided  that  all 
possible  preliminary  steps  should  be  taken  to  prepare 
for  the  prompt  purchase  of  clothing  and  equipage  in 
large  quantities,  and  tables  were  prepared  giving  the 
supplies  necessary  for  500,000  men. 

Letters  were  then  prepared  to  be  promptly  dispatched 
to  the  several  depot  quartermasters  to  authorize  them  to 
invite  proposals  for  the  quantities  specified,  the  Depart- 
ment reserving  the  right  to  increase  or  decrease  the 
amounts  at  the  time  the  award  was  made. 

It  was  the  intention  to  publish  this  advertise- 
ment for  supplies  immediately  after  the  passage  of  the 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  135 

bill  making  appropriation  for  the  support  of  the  Army 
for  the  fiscal  year  1918  by  Congress. 

In  a  conference  with  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Quar- 
termaster General  explained  the  arrangements  made  as 
above  outlined,  and  was  authorized  to  issue  at  once  the 
advertisement  calling  for  proposals  for  the  needs  of  the 
Army  for  the  fiscal  year  1918,  based  on  estimates  which 
had  been  submitted  to  Congress,  the  appropriation  for 
which,  however,  had  not  yet  been  made. 

The  advertisement  was  issued  under  date  of  Feb- 
ruary 5th,  inviting  proposals  for  supplies  to  be  opened 
on  March  5,  1917. 

The  Chief  of  the  Supplies  Division,  under  direction 
of  the  Quartermaster  General,  visited  the  depots  where 
proposals  were  to  be  received,  and  effected  an  arrange- 
ment to  obtain  the  widest  possible  competition,  utiliz- 
ing the  suggestions  and  services  of  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce and  other  allied  organizations.  Under  date  of 
February  4,  1917,  the  Quartermaster  General  sug- 
gested to  the  Secretary  of  War  the  desirability  of  secur- 
ing the  cooperation  of  the  National  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce to  effect  the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  com- 
petent business  men  to  act  at  each  depot  in  an  advisory 
capacity  to  the  officers  on  duty  at  such  depots,  such 
board  or  committee  of  business  men  to  represent  the  in- 
terests of  the  business  community  in  seeing  that  fairness 
was  shown  in  the  consideration  of  all  proposals  for 
supplies.  It  was  emphasized  that  the  men  selected 
should  be  thoroughly  trained  business  men  in  no  way 
connected  with  any  firm  or  line  of  business  which  would 


136       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

be  likely  to  submit  proposals.  This  suggestion  was  ap- 
proved under  date  of  February  4,  1917,  and  amended 
under  date  of  March  7,  1917,  so  as  to  emphasize  the 
fact  that  these  men  were  to  act  in  an  advisory  capacity 
only,  and  were  not  to  participate  in  making  the  award, 
as  that  duty  under  the  law  devolved  entirely  upon  the 
officers  of  the  Corps  designated  for  such  possible  duty. 

The  result  of  this  was  in  general  the  appointment  of  a 
number  of  well  qualified  and  competent  business  men 
who  by  their  advice  and  experience  assisted  materially 
the  officers  on  duty  at  the  depots. 

By  the  plan  above  adopted,  and  through  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  business  men  on  the  several  depot  com- 
mittees, when  bids  were  opened  on  March  5,  1917,  it 
developed  that  competition  was  far  greater  than  at  any 
previous  opening  for  clothing  and  equipage  supplies, 
and  contracts  were  awarded  for  the  articles  called  for 
in  the  advertisement,  with  the  stipulation  that  payment 
for  same  would  be  made  when  the  funds  were  appropri- 
ated by  Congress.  This  stipulation  was  necessary  due 
to  the  fact  that  Congress  had  adjourned  on  March  4th 
without  enacting  the  bill  for  the  support  of  the  Army 
in  the  fiscal  year  1918. 

The  Revised  Statutes  provide  that  deficiencies  may 
be  created  for  certain  supplies,  including  clothing,  for 
such  number  of  men  in  the  Army  as  may  be  authorized 
by  law;  and  based  upon  this  law  the  contracts  were 
entered  upon,  the  deliveries  to  be  made  at  the  earliest 
possible  date.     The  contracts  were  for  the  supplies  re- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  137 

quired  for  160,000  men,  the  authorized  strength  of  the 
Army  for  the  fiscal  year  1918. 

On  March  13,  1917  (S.  473)  in  reply  to  a  memo- 
randum from  the  Chief  of  Staff,  the  Quartermaster 
General  stated  that  the  clothing  and  equipment,  except 
canvas  for  tentage,  for  a  million  men  could  be  procured 
within  ten  months,  that  is,  by  December  31,  1917. 
Nothing  further  was  heard  of  this,  but  on  March  21, 
1917  (S.  474)  the  Quartermaster  General  in  reply  to  a 
communication  from  the  Adjutant  General  stated  that 
if  authorized  that  day  it  was  thought  possible  to  place 
orders  for  the  manufacture  of  clothing  and  equipage 
under  the  opening  of  March  5th  and  give  additional 
orders  for  sufficient  clothing  and  equipage  to  take  care 
of  500,000  men  (the  number  specified  in  the  letter  of 
the  Adjutant  General)  including  the  Regular  Army  and 
National  Guard,  within  sixty  days.  On  March  26, 
1917,  the  Quartermaster  General  was  directed  to  take 
action  in  accordance  with  his  recommendation  of  March 
21st,  and  the  orders  for  the  supplies  were  placed  as 
promptly  as  possible.  It  was  found,  however,  that  a 
number  of  the  bidders,  under  the  opening  of  March  5th, 
who  had  not  received  awards  under  that  opening,  had 
cancelled  their  option  for  new  materials,  and  conse- 
quently could  not  take  orders  then  at  the  prices  they 
had  quoted,  and  it  became  necessary  to  secure  other 
proposals  in  an  informal  way. 

On  March  24th,  instructions  were  issued  calling  a 
number  of  National  Guard  organizations  into  the  Fed- 
eral Service,  the  estimated  strength  being  68,000  men. 


138       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

On  April  2nd  these  men  were  promptly  equipped,  al- 
though the  number  which  was  brought  into  the  service 
was  89,000  instead  of  08,000.  This  increased  number 
of  men  called  into  service  was  undoubtedly  necessary 
to  provide  guards  for  railways,  bridges  and  water  sup- 
plies of  cities  and  towns,  though  the  addition  added  seri- 
ously to  the  work  of  supply  (S.  471-H632). 

The  Quartermaster  General  on  April  3,  1917,  see- 
ing that  a  call  for  500,000  men  would  evidently  be 
made  if  the  selective  service  bill  became  a  law,  sub- 
mitted a  memorandum  requesting  authority  to  procure 
the  supplies  required  for  an  additional  500,000  men 
(S.  476).  This  was  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  War 
on  the  same  date,  and  instructions  were  issued  to  the 
depot  quartermasters  to  purchase  the  supplies  and  exact 
the  earliest  possible  deliveries.  The  supplies  required 
under  the  authorizations  above  cited  of  March  5th, 
March  21st  and  April  3rd,  1917,  were  purchased  in  con- 
formity for  the  law  which  requires  advertising  of  pro- 
posals and  entering  into  formal  written  contract,  or 
when  time  did  not  permit  of  advertising  proposals 
were  received  informally  and  written  contracts  made. 

The  law  also  requires  that  the  purchases  should  be 
made  where  cheapest,  the  quality,  cost  of  transportation 
and  the  interests  of  the  Government  considered ;  and 
while  there  is  authority  under  the  acts  of  April  10, 
1878,  and  March  3,  1883  (20  Stat,  36;  22  Stat.  487) 
to  prescribe  rules  and  regulations  to  be  observed  in  the 
preparation,  submission  and  opening  of  bids  for  con- 
tracts under   the   War  Department,    such    regulations 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  139 

must  conform  to  statutory  requirements  and  cannot 
preclude  persons  who  are  able  and  willing  to  furnish 
the  required  supplies  in  the  time  specified.  In  other 
words,  there  is  no  statute  applicable  to  the  War  De- 
partment similar  to  Section  3,722,  Revised  Statutes, 
which,  with  reference  to  contracts  with  the  Navy  De- 
partment, provides  inter  alia:  "No  person  shall  be 
viewed  as  a  contractor  who  is  not  a  manufacturer  of  or 
regular  dealer  in  the  articles  which  he  offers  to  supply." 
The  result  was  that  in  time  of  peace  persons  who 
were  neither  manufacturers  nor  regular  dealers  would 
attend  the  opening  of  the  proposals  for  Army  supplies 
and  there  hear  read  off  the  lowest  prices  for  which  cer- 
tain articles  were  offered.  At  a  subsequent  opening 
of  proposals,  they  could  then  submit  proposals,  based 
upon  the  prices  for  which  contracts  had  been  previously 
made,  even  for  articles  produced  under  definite  speci- 
fications carefully  defining  the  quality  and  minutely 
describing  the  processes  of  manufacture.  Ascertaining 
that  the  proposal  submitted  was  the  lowest  such  person 
would  then  make  an  agreement  with  a  manufacturer  to 
supply  him  with  the  quantity  of  the  article  desired  in 
the  time  specified  and  made  strictly  in  accordance  with 
the  specifications.  Having  made  this  agreement,  it 
was  an  easy  matter  to  secure  the  bond  required  for  the 
faithful  fulfilment  of  the  contract  by  paying  the  com- 
paratively small  fee  charged  by  a  bonding  company. 
When  called  upon  by  the  Contracting  Officer,  such  per- 
son would  furnish  the  name  of  the  manufacturer  and 
bonding  company,  and  if  his  proposal  was  the  lowest 


140       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  contract  had  to  be  awarded  to  him,  provided  it  was 
in  conformity  with  the  terms  of  the  advertisement  and 
the  instructions  to  bidders  issued  in  connection  there- 
with. This  practice  led  to  the  establishment  in  business 
circles  of  individuals  or  firms  termed  middlemen  or 
agents. 

In  time  of  peace  in  case  of  failure  to  make  delivery 
at  the  times  specified  in  the  contract,  or  for  other  de- 
fault under  same,  it  was  possible  to  obtain  the  supplies 
from  manufacturers  charging  against  the  bonding  com- 
pany the  excess  cost  of  the  supplies,  if  any. 

Until  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the  clothing  for  the 
men  was  provided  in  accordance  with  an  estimated 
money  value  of  the  clothing  required  by  a  man  during 
his  term  of  enlistment.  It  was  thought  to  encourage 
care  in  the  use  of  the  clothing,  as,  upon  discharge  from 
the  service,  the  man  was  paid  the  amount  of  money  re- 
maining of  his  clothing  allowance,  representing  the 
articles  of  clothing  which  had  not  been  drawn  due  to 
the  care  and  economy  displayed  by  each  individual. 
Such  a  method  of  clothing  issue  required  three  separate 
accounts  to  be  kept ;  an  impossibility  with  a  large  army 
because  of  the  immense  amount  of  clerical  work  it  re- 
quired. Furthermore,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  provide  necessary  clothing  for  the  men  in  time 
of  war  to  replace  any  which  may  be  worn  or  destroyed 
on  active  service.  Upon  our  entry  into  the  war  effort 
was  made  by  the  Quartermaster  General  to  effect  a 
change  in  the  matter  of  the  clothing  allowance,  and 
the  paper  having  been  referred  to  the  Judge  Advocate 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  141 

General,  that  officer  stated  that  the  clothing  allowance 
was  never  intended  as  a  compensation  to  the  enlisted 
men,  and  that  it  lay  within  the  President's  authority, 
under  law,  to  prescribe  the  amount  of  clothing  adequate 
for  the  service  in  which  an  enlisted  man  was  engaged. 
In  conformity  with  these  views  G.  O.  No.  89,  W.  D.  was 
published  on  July  11,  1917,  reading  as  follows: 

The  President  of  the  United  States  directs  that  during  the 
period  of  the  existing  emergency  a  soldier's  allowance  for 
clothing  will  be  the  quantity  of  clothing  necessary  and  ade- 
quate for  the  service  upon  which  he  is  engaged. 

Organization  commanders  will  be  held  responsible  for  rigid 
economy  in  issues  and  for  the  proper  equipment  of  enlisted 
men  of  their  commands  with  the  allowances  prescribed  as 
Equipment  "C"  in  table  for  quartermaster  supplies. 

Articles  lost  or  destroyed  through  neglect  will  be  charged 
on  the  pay  roll  against  the  man  responsible  therefor. 

Articles  which  have  been  damaged  or  rendered  unservice- 
able will  be  repaired  if  practicable  or  replaced  by  others. 

The  clothing  allowance  of  retired  enlisted  men,  as  estab- 
lished by  law,  is  given  in  paragraph  137,  Army  Regulations, 
and  is  not  changed  by  this  order. 

This  order  will  be  effective  on  and  after  July  15,  1917. 

The  style  of  uniform  adopted  for  the  Army  is  one 
that  fits  closely  to  the  figure  and  has  a  tight  standing 
collar  on  the  coat.  The  unsuitability  of  such  a  gar- 
ment for  field  service,  during  which  a  man  would  be 
called  upon  to  engage  in  active  conflict  to  defend  his 
own  life  and  destroy  his  adversary  is  apparent;  its 
military  appearance  is  of  little  consideration  when  a 
death  struggle  is  to  be  engaged  in.  The  garments  worn 
by  athletes  in  their  competitions  are  not  provided  with 
tight  standing  collars.    As  the  uniform  was  to  fit  closely, 


142        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

a  large  number  of  sizes  of  same  had  to  be  provided  in 
the  tariff  of  sizes:  there  were  eighteen  different  sizes 
of  coats  and  thirty-two  sizes  of  breeches.  For  these 
reasons  a  change  in  the  style  of  uniform  was  recom- 
mended which  provided  a  turn-down  collar  loose  about 
the  neck  and  the  coat  to  fit  loosely  and  comfortably; 
the  breeches  also  were  to  be  changed.  If  these  changes 
had  been  adopted  not  more  than  six  or  eight  different 
sizes  would  have  been  required  and  a  greater  number 
of  men  could  have  been  properly  fitted  from  the  same 
number  of  uniforms  than  would  be  possible  with  the 
close  fitting  style  of  uniform.  Moreover,  it  is  believed 
they  would  have  presented  as  satisfactory  an  appear- 
ance. 

These  recommendations  failed  after  several  attempts 
to  secure  the  necessary  approval,  and  the  attention  of 
the  Quartermaster  General  was  called  to  the  order 
which  stated  that  nothing  which  did  not  serve  to  help 
in  winning  the  war  would  be  undertaken.  Surely  the 
proper  clothing  of  the  men  would  materially  so  assist. 
The  failure  to  approve  this  change  resulted  later  in 
inability  to  fit  the  men  at  the  several  camps  when  often 
there  was  a  large  number  of  garments  on  hand.  Effort 
was  made  at  the  same  time  to  change  the  officers'  uni- 
form so  as  to  have  a  turned  down  rolling  collar,  and  it 
was  pointed  out  that  as  nearly  thirty  thousand  new  of- 
ficers would  be  graduated  shortly  from  the  training 
camps  the  time  was  opportune.  Such  a  change  would 
have  made  it  possible  for  many  excellent  civilian  tailors 
to  cut  and  make  the  officers'  uniforms. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  143 

This  recommendation  was  also  disapproved  and  later 
when  several  thousand  medical  officers  were  appointed 
for  service  in  France  the  Quartermaster  Corps  was 
ordered  to  sell  to  such  officers  the  uniforms  they  re- 
quired, as  such  uniforms  could  not  be  produced  by  the 
military  tailors  in  the  time  required.  This  resulted 
in  depleting  the  stock  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and 
made  it  impossible  to  supply  some  of  the  drafted  men 
in  the  camps  as  promptly  as  they  would  otherwise  have 
been  supplied. 

It  is  understood  that  before  the  field  service  uniform 
was  adopted  it  was  shown  to  President  Roosevelt  and 
that  he  objected  to  the  tight  standing  collar,  thinking 
the  turned  down  collar  was  more  suitable  and  appropri- 
ate and  that  he  was  informed  the  tight  standing  collar 
was  more  "military."  Our  lady  and  canine  friends 
wear  tight  standing  (military)  collars  as  an  adornment; 
the  former  through  choice  but  never  when  engaged  in  a 
death  struggle,  as  witness  the  uniforms  of  the  Bat- 
talions of  Death ;  and  the  latter  under  compulsion  and 
to  that  collar  a  leash  is  often  attached  for  the  purpose 
of  restraining  freedom  of  action. 

The  participants  in  athletic  contests  are  provided 
with  uniforms  which  in  no  way  interfere,  but  on  the 
contrary,  in  every  possible  way,  assist  them  to  exert 
their  full  muscular  powers  to  win  the  contest.  A  com- 
parison with  the  uniform  of  those  engaged  in  a  contest 
for  life  is  not  necessary,  but  surely  no  benefit  is  derived 
for  such  contestants  by  wearing  a  "military"  collar. 

In  time  of  peace  our  Army  is  raised  and  kept  re- 


144       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

plenished  by  volunteer  enlistments.  The  number  of 
men  authorized  by  law  being  a  very  small  percentage 
of  the  total  population,  in  normal  times  there  are  a 
great  many  more  applicants  for  enlistment  than  there 
are  vacancies.  As  a  consequence  certain  physical  re- 
quirements have  been  established  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment, which  prescribe  a  minimum  and  a  maximum,  as 
to  height,  weight  and  chest  measurements;  and  any 
applicant  for  enlistment  who  was  not  included  in  the 
limits  established  was  rejected,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  he  might  have  been  in  good  healthy  physical 
condition.  The  Regular  Army  in  time  of  peace  was  a 
very  carefully  selected  body  of  men,  as  is  shown  by  the 
great  number  of  rejections  of  men  applying  to  enter  the 
service.  It  might  fairly  be  said  that  the  men  were  a 
normal  physical  type. 

To  provide  the  clothing  and  equipment  it  was  found 
after  years  of  experience  that  certain  sizes  each  of  pre- 
scribed measurement  were  necessary,  and  it  was  also 
found,  based  upon  the  experience  of  years,  that  a  certain 
number  of  each  size  would  be  required  in  outfitting  a 
certain  number  of  men.  Tables  were  therefore  pre- 
pared and  had  been  in  use  for  a  considerable  period 
giving  the  number  of  each  size  that  would  be  required 
to  equip  each  1,000  or  ten  thousand  men.  These  tables 
were  known  as  Tariff  of  Sizes  for  each  garment.  A 
Quartermaster  preparing  a  Requisition  for  Clothing  for 
his  command  would  base  it  upon  the  total  number  of 
each  size  called  for  by  the  several  organizations  in 
the  command.     This  would  afford  the  Depot  Quarter- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  145 

masters  an  opportunity  to  ascertain  if  the  established 
Tariff  of  Sizes  were  correct  and  report  would  be  called 
for  from  them  at  frequent  periods  to  determine  whether 
any  modification  was  necessary.  When  new  organiza- 
tions were  to  be  outfitted  and  the  sizes  required  for  the 
men  composing  same  was  not  known,  experience  had 
proved  that  if  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  addition  to  the 
number  required  for  the  organization  were  shipped, 
assorted  according  to  the  Tariff  of  Sizes,  that  it  was 
possible  to  outfit  the  organization  perfectly.  Any  excess 
number  of  the  various  sizes  would  be  returned  to  the 
Quartermaster,  who  would  be  enabled  from  such  excess 
to  provide  for  the  wants  of  another  organization.  Con- 
sequently in  ordering  the  manufacture  of  new  clothing 
the  contract  would  be  based  upon  the  Tariff  of  Sizes, 
and  this  method  was  followed  in  preparing  the  clothing 
for  the  new  army. 

When  the  Selective  Service  Act  was  put  into  opera- 
tion and  the  men  first  drafted  reported  to  the  camps, 
the  careful  physical  selection  that  had  been  heretofore 
made  was  entirely  disregarded,  and  if  a  man  was 
physically  sound  he  was  certified  to  the  service  regard- 
less of  his  height,  weight  or  chest  measurement.  And 
it  was  then  found  that  the  Tariff  of  Sizes  did  not 
apply  to  such  drafted  men  as  it  had  to  the  men  here- 
tofore enlisted  in  the  Regular  Army.  As  an  illustra- 
tion, the  men  coming  from  Michigan  and  several  west- 
ern States  were  found,  as  a  general  rule,  to  be  much 
taller  and  larger,   and   the  men  coming  from  certain 


146       THE  QUAKTEKMASTER  CORPS 

eastern  cities  proved  to  be  shorter  and  much  smaller, 
than  those  who  had  been  previously  enlisted. 

General  Order  No.  26,  War  Department,  dated  Au- 
gust 16,  1912,  prescribed  a  method  of  measuring  the 
soldiers'  feet  and  fitting  the  shoes.     It  stated : 

1.  With  a  view  to  increasing  the  marching  capacity  of 
troops,  Company  commanders  will  personally  measure  the  feet 
and  fit  the  shoes  of  the  men  of  their  commands  and  will  be 
held  responsible  that  the  instructions  herein  contained  are 
strictly  followed.  (Then  was  given  in  precise  detail  the  method 
to  be  adopted.) 

By  the  same  order  it  was  enjoined  that  light  woolen 
or  heavy  woolen  socks  would  habitually  be  worn  for 
marching,  but  orders  issued  in  France  required  the  men 
to  wear  two  pairs  of  heavy  woolen  socks  in  the  trenches 
in  the  winter  time.  Consequently  it  is  evident  that  the 
men  would  require  a  larger  size  shoe  to  enable  this  to 
be  done.  This,  of  course,  was  not  foreseen  when  the 
Tariff  of  Sizes  of  shoes  was  prepared.  An  elaborate  test 
was  made  with  the  fitting  of  the  men's  shoes  on  the 
Mexican  border  in  the  fall  of  1916,  and  the  Quarter- 
master General  endeavored  several  times  to  secure  a 
copy  of  it  but  without  success.  On  November  14,  1917, 
a  Board  of  Officers,  consisting  of  two  officers  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  an  officer  of  the  Medical  De- 
partment and  Mr.  E.  J.  Bliss,  President  of  the  Regal 
Shoe  Company,  met  to  discuss  the  subject  of  the  fitting 
of  shoes  for  the  men.  At  this  meeting,  it  was  the 
unanimous  opinion  that  if  General  Orders  26,  War 
Department  1912,  was  complied  with  there  would  be  no 
question  but  that  the  proper  fit  could  be  secured. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  147 

The  Tariff  of  Sizes  for  Shoes  gave  six  different 
widths  and  fifteen  sizes.  Learning  of  the  large  sizes 
of  the  men  drafted,  the  table  was  modified  by  omitting 
the  smallest  size  and  width,  and  increasing  the  number 
of  sizes  by  two.  Later  when  men  of  small  stature 
were  drafted  from  the  cities,  the  small  sizes  had  to  be 
again  adopted. 

In  time  of  peace  the  Army  with  its  very  limited  ap- 
propriation was  compelled  to  secure  the  sizes  which 
would  be  needed  by  the  troops  and  therefore  adopted 
its  own  Tariff  of  Sizes.  If  a  civilian  tariff  had  been 
adopted  and  then  it  was  discovered  that  the  men  could 
not  be  fitted  from  the  sizes  on  hand,  and  there  were  no 
further  funds  with  which  to  secure  the  proper  sizes, 
it  is  thought  that  the  authorities  might  properly  be 
censured  for  not  following  their  own  tariff  sizes. 
Realizing  that  the  Army  Tariff  of  Sizes  had  always 
proved  correct  in  the  past  it  was  quite  natural  that 
they  should  be  followed  for  the  new  Amiy,  until  demon- 
strated to  require  modification. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  upon  the  passage  of 
the  Selective  Service  Law  there  was  a  reservoir  of 
ten  millions  of  men  and  all  that  was  needed  was  to 
pick  out  500,000  of  them,  and  say  that  on  a  designated 
day  they  must  report  at  specified  camps,  and  this  might 
result  in  the  very  large  men  being  assembled  at  one 
camp;  and,  furthermore,  it  must  be  understood  that 
no  advance  notice  had  been  or  could  possibly  have  been 
given  of  the  sizes  of  garments  required  for  these  men. 
Someone  had  to  use  his  best  judgment  and  discretion 


148       THE  QUAETEEMASTEE  COEPS 

before  the  time  of  assembling;  and  of  course  that 
could  not  be  as  accurate  as  a  criticism  based  on  a 
passed  event. 

After  an  exhaustive  study  by  a  Board  of  Officers,  a 
type  of  shoe  last,  known  as  the  Munson  last,  from  the 
name  of  the  officer  on  the  Board  who  devised  it,  was 
adopted  for  use  in  the  Army.  The  upper  was  made  of  a 
light  weight  calfskin  of  tan  color,  lined  with  canvas, 
the  soles  welted  and  of  a  number  nine  gauge  leather. 
The  shoe  produced  was  very  comfortable  and  its  shape 
and  structure  eliminated  any  possible  source  of  injury 
to  the  feet.  It  was  light  in  weight  and  for  that  reason 
was  objected  to  by  the  officers  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  as  being  unsuitable  and  unserviceable  for  field 
use.  This  objection  was  met  by  the  assertion  that  as  a 
people  we  were  accustomed  to  wearing  light  weight 
shoes,  and  further  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  have 
the  army  equipped  with  the  strong  heavy  shoes  worn  in 
Continental  armies.  However,  in  the  spring  of  1916, 
when  the  Punitive  Expedition  crossed  into  Mexico,  it 
was  soon  demonstrated  that  the  light  weight  shoe  pro- 
vided the  men  would  be  worn  out  in  a  week's  campaign 
and  rendered  unserviceable  and  the  men  likely  to  be 
injured.  Consequently,  in  the  fall  of  1916  samples  of 
the  field  shoes  worn  by  the  British,  French  and  Belgian 
Armies  were  secured  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  num- 
ber of  qualified  shoe  experts  a  type  of  field  shoes,  made 
of  heavy  leather,  with  strong  double  soles,  covered  with 
hob-nails  and  having  a  steel  heel  plate  was  devised. 
About  two  hundred  pairs  of  these  shoes  were  sent  to 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  149 

the  Mexican  border  for  trial  and  report.  Early  in  tho 
spring  of  1917,  as  no  report  had  been  received,  the 
Quartermaster  General  directed  the  purchase  of  about 
sixty  thousand  pairs  of  these  field  shoes.  These  were 
also  sent  to  the  Mexican  border,  and  ascertaining'  that 
they  had  not  been  used  there  instructions  to  ship  them 
to  France  were  given  when  the  first  Division  was  or- 
dered to  sail  from  this  country.  Soon  after  the  arrival 
of  the  troops  in  France,  request  was  received  from  the 
authorities  there  to  ship  only  the  field  shoes  for  use  of 
the  troops.  In  the  meantime  the  manufacture  of  the 
field  shoes  had  been  undertaken  on  a  large  scale,  and 
the  light  weight  garrison  shoes  reserved  for  use  in  the 
camps.  The  troops  were  all  being  equipped  with  two 
pairs  of  field  shoes  when  prepared  for  embarkation. 

As  previously  shown  authority  had  been  obtained  to 
purchase  the  clothing  and  equipage  for  the  Regular 
Army  and  National  Guard,  both  raised  to  war  strength, 
and  also  for  500,000  men  to  be  secured  by  the  operation 
of  the  Selective  Service  Law  when  it  was  enacted  by 
Congress;  a  total  of  about  one  million  men.  By  in- 
structions from  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff  the  estimates 
were  prepared  for  an  authorized  strength  of  1,078,000 
men  and  submitted  to  Congress  soon  after  the  opening 
of  the  session  on  April  2,  1917. 

By  the  National  Defense  Act  of  1916  a  Council  of 
National  Defense  was  created  which  was  composed  of 
the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  the 
Secretary  of  Agriculture,  the  Secretary  of  Commerce 
and  the  Secretary  of  Labor.     It  also  authorized  an  Ad- 


150        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

visory  Commission  under  the  Council  of  National  De- 
fense to  make  special  investigation  of  any  subject 
deemed  desirable,  and  authorized  the  Council  of  Na- 
tional Defense  to  organize  subordinate  bodies,  either 
experts  or  committees,  for  the  prosecution  of  these 
special  investigations.  A  body  known  as  the  Advisory 
Commission  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  was  or- 
ganized in  December  of  1916.  It  was  divided  into 
seven  different  sections  of  activities,  as  follows:  trans- 
portation and  communications ;  munitions  manufacture, 
including  standardization  and  industrial  relations ;  sup- 
plies, including  food  and  clothing;  raw  materials,  min- 
erals and  metals ;  engineering  and  education ;  medicine 
and  surgery,  including  general  sanitation ;  labor,  includr 
ing  the  preservation  of  health  and  welfare  of  workers ; 
and  later  the  commercial  economy  board  was  formed, 
the  purpose  of  which  was  to  eliminate  waste  and  the 
production  of  all  unnecessary  articles.  Still  later  a  com- 
mittee on  coal  production  was  formed,  but  its  duties  and 
functions  were  taken  over  upon  the  passage  of  the  law 
creating  the  Fuel  Administration. 

After  the  formation  of  these  committees  to  advise  on 
industries  and  raw  material,  it  was  found  that  there  was 
no  real  point  of  contact  with  those  departments  of  the 
Army  and  of  the  Navy  which  were  purchasing  supplies 
and  that  a  system  for  coordinating  their  needs  and 
bringing  them  to  public  notice  was  required.  The  Gen- 
eral Munitions  Board,  consisting  of  seven  members,  was 
then  formed  for  this  purpose.     That  organization  func- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  151 

tioned  for  several  months  and  was  finally  changed  into 
the  War  Industries  Board. 

This  Board  authorized  a  Clearance  Committee.  It 
also  had  a  raw  material  division,  with  experts  on  differ- 
ent kinds  of  raw  material ;  supplies  division,  called  the 
committee  on  supplies ;  a  finished  products  division  and 
a  priorities  committee. 

On  April  8,  1917,  a  conference  was  held  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  War,  which  was  attended  by  the 
members  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  the  Ad- 
visory Commission  of  the  Council,  the  General  Muni- 
tions Board  and  the  members  of  the  several  committees 
created  by  this  Board,  and  the  Chiefs  of  the  various 
Departments  of  the  War  Department.  This  conference 
was  called  to  discuss  the  manner  in  which  the  purchase 
of  supplies  required  for  the  Army  should  be  made.  It 
was  pointed  out  that  the  quantity  of  supplies  required 
was  enormous  and  in  some  cases  in  excess  of  the  possible 
production  of  the  country;  that,  furthermore,  the  pur- 
chases by  the  allies  had  to  a  great  extent  depleted  the 
market.  The  prices  had  largely  advanced  and  with  the 
increased  demands  from  abroad,  both  from  the  allied 
and  neutral  nations,  still  greater  advances  in  prices  were 
anticipated.  The  necessity  to  protect  the  interests  of 
the  people  by  preventing  any  unwarranted  advance  in 
prices  was  emphasized,  and  also  the  necessity  of  stim- 
ulating production  to  meet  the  requirements.  It  was 
maintained  that  to  advertise  publicly  for  proposals  for- 
the  supplies  needed  would  afford  an  opportunity  to 
corner  the  market  and  greatly  increase  the  cost  of  the 


152        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

supplies  and  possibly  tend  to  check  the  installation  of 
new  sources  of  supply,  and  it  was  urged  that  under  the 
conditions  then  existing  there  was  an  emergency  necessi- 
tating the  immediate  procurement  of  the  supplies  re- 
quired. This  discussion  was  participated  in  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  members  of  the  Conference.  It  was  also 
urged  that  under  the  existing  conditions  the  purchases 
should  be  made  by  "merchandising"  with  the  various 
manufacturers  and  producers  directly.  This  conten- 
tion was  advanced  by  several  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Supplies  who  were  recognized  in  the  com- 
mercial world  as  being  thoroughly  competent  and  emi- 
nently successful  men  of  affairs,  some  of  them  being  the 
heads  of  the  largest  business  organizations  in  the  coun- 
try which  provided  all  classes  of  supply.  As  a  result 
of  this  conference,  the  following  order  was  made  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  and  published  under  date  of  April  12, 
1917: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

Washington,  D.  C,  April  12,  1917. 

ORDERS : 

1.  It  is  hereby  declared  that  an  emergency  exists 
within  the  meaning  of  Section  3,709,  Revised  Statutes, 
and  other  Statutes  which  except  cases  of  emergency 
.from  the  requirement,  that  contracts  for  and  on  behalf 
of  the  Government  shall  only  be  made  after  advertising, 
and  as  to  all  contracts  under  the  War  Department  for 
the  supply  of  the  War  Department  and  the  supply  and 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  153 

equipment  of  the  Army  and  for  fortifications  and  other 
works  of  defense;  and  until  further  ordered  such  con- 
tracts will  be  made  without  resort  to  advertising  for 
bids  in  the  letting  of  the  same. 

2.  Where  time  will  permit  information  will  be  given 
to  the  Munitions  Board  constituted  by  the  National 
Council  of  Defense,  through  the  Supply  Bureau's  repre- 
sentative, of  orders  to  be  made  for  supplies,  with  the 
view  of  assistance  from  the  Board  in  placing  the  orders 
and  in  order  that  the  supplies  of  the  War  Department 
may  be  coordinated  with  those  for  the  Navy  and  other 
executive  departments  and  secured  at  prices  not  in  ex- 
cess of  those  paid  for  other  departments. 

3.  It  is  to  be  understood,  however,  that  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  several  supply  bureaus  for  promptly  sup- 
plying the  needs  of  the  Army  must  be  recognized ;  and 
where  time  will  not  admit  of  the  delay  in  consulting  the 
Munitions  Board,  the  supply  bureaus  will  retain  their 
present  initiative  in  contracting  without  reference  to  the 
board. 

(Signed) NEWTON  D.  BAKEK, 

Secretary  of  War. 
E102387— 17. 

Later  at  a  conference  with  the  Secretary  of  War,  the 
chairman  and  sub-chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Sup- 
plies and  the  Quartermaster  General,  it  was  arranged 
that  for  clothing  and  equipage  supplies  the  Quarter- 
master General  was  to  deal  direct  with  the  chairman 
or  sub-chairman  of  that  Committee,  thus  to  expedite 
action.  It  was  further  arranged  that  an  officer  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  should  sit  with  that  Committee 
when  it  was  arriving  at  agreement  as  to  prices  with 
the  various  manufacturers  and  the  allocation  as  to  or- 


154       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ders  for  supplying  the  various  articles.  Such  officer 
to  be  the  representative  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in 
such  matters.  It  was  further  arranged  that  all  woolen, 
cotton  and  leather  supplies,  a  list  of  at  first  about  nine- 
teen articles,  should  be  procured  through  the  assistance 
of  the  Committee  on  Supplies  and  Colonel  H.  J.  Hirsch, 
of  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  then  stationed  at  the  Phil- 
adelphia Depot,  should  be  the  representative  on  that 
Committee. 

The  method  of  procedure  was  for  the  Quartermaster 
General  to  inform  the  Supply  Committee  that  certain 
quantities  of  supplies  were  required  at  a  specified  time, 
and  to  request  information  with  whom  the  contract  for 
same  could  be  entered  into  and  the  prices  for  such 
articles.  The  names  of  the  individuals,  the  prices,  etc., 
were  to  be  furnished  the  Philadelphia  Depot  and  the 
contract  would  then  be  prepared  by  Colonel  Hirsch 
and  signed  by  him  as  representing  the  Government. 
He  thus  being  the  Contracting  officer  and  signing  the 
affidavits  on  the  contract  as  he  was  a  party  to  the  agree- 
ment as  to  prices.  Later  on  the  list  of  articles  to  be 
procured  through  the  Committee  on  Supplies  was  ex- 
tended to  include  all  articles  relating  to  clothing  and 
equipage.  Instructions  were  given  by  the  Quarter- 
master General  that  in  all  cases  where  commissioned 
officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  were  acting  in  con- 
junction with  any  Committee  of  the  Council  of  Na- 
tional Defense  in  the  matter  of  placing  orders  for  ma- 
terials and  supplies  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and 
the  fixing  of  prices  at  which  the  orders  should  be  placed, 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  155 

if  any  instance  occurred  where  they  (the  officers)  dis- 
agreed with  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  of  the  Coun- 
cil, it  was  their  duty  to  bring  the  matter  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  so  that 
the  matter  could  be  presented  to  the  Secretary  of  War ; 
and  such  officers  were  informed  that  they  were  associ- 
ated with  the  Committee  of  the  Council  because  they 
had  been  selected  as  having  particular  knowledge  of  the 
various  matters  to  be  handled,  and  as  representatives  of 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  they  were  so  to  act  as  to  pro- 
tect the  interests  of  the  Government, 

The  latter  part  of  October,  1917,  Colonel  Hirsch  was 
ordered  to  Washington  to  organize  and  assume  charge 
of  the  Quartermaster  Purchasing  and  Manufacturing 
Office.  This  office  was  charged  with  the  responsibility 
of  making  all  awards  and  contracts  for  clothing  and 
camp  and  garrison  equipage  for  the  Army. 

On  April  18,  1917,  a  statement  was  furnished  the 
Committee  on  Supplies,  Council  of  National  Defense, 
showing  the  articles  purchased  for  one  million  men  to 
that  date,  the  amounts  delivered,  and  the  date  of  the 
final  completion  of  the  contracts.  In  forwarding  this 
statement,  the  Secretary  of  War  requested  that  steps  be 
taken  under  Section  120  of  the  National  Defense  Act, 
approved  June  3,  1916,  to  expedite  the  delivery  of 
designated  articles.  This  section,  in  time  of  war,  au- 
thorizes the  Government  to  take  over  a  plant  or  to 
place  an  order  with  same  and  requires  in  this  case  that 
precedence  shall  be  given  to  the  Government  order;  it 
further  stipulates  that  the  price  can  be  fixed  by  the  Gov- 


156       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ernment  but  that  it  must  be  fair  and  just.  Fine  and 
imprisonment  may  be  imposed  for  failure  to  comply 
with  the  Government's  orders.  ISTo  action  was  taken 
under  that  section. 

The  Committee  on  Supplies  was  from  time  to  time 
furnished  with  the  list  of  supplies  required  for  one 
million  men  in  addition  to  those  for  whom  purchases 
had  already  been  effected ;  and  requested  to  inform  the 
Depot  Quartermaster,  Philadelphia,  where  the  supplies 
could  be  obtained,  the  price  at  which  they  could  be  pur- 
chased and  the  rates  of  delivery. 

After  the  passage  of  the  Selective  Service  Law  on 
May  19,  1917,  it  was  learned  that  it  was  contemplated 
to  call  an  additional  500,000  men  into  the  service,  and  a 
memorandum  was  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
on  May  29,  1917. 

"To  date  orders  have  been  or  are  being  placed  for 
the  initial  equipment  of  clothing,  equipage  and  ma- 
terials for  1,000,000  men,  and  the  upkeep  for  the  first, 
second  and  third  quarters.  No  steps  have  yet  been 
taken  to  place  orders  for  the  fourth  quarter  for  the  first 
million  men. 

"In  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was  understood  that  a 
total  of  1,500,000  men  will  soon  be  in  the  Federal 
service,  for  which  the  Quartermaster  Corps  will  be  re- 
quired to  furnish  equipment,  it  is  recommended  that 
authority  be  granted  to  place  orders  immediately  for 
the  equipment  required  for  the  remaining  500,000  men. 

"If  it  is  approved,  a  deficiency  of  about  $110,000,000 
will  be  created." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Quartermaster  General. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION"  157 

"I  concur,  unless  our  Government  decides  to  provide 
for  no  more  than  the  Regular  Army,  war  strength ;  Na- 
tional Guard,  war  strength ;  and  the  first  500,000  men." 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 
Acting  Chief  of  Staff. 
"Approved. 

"The  memo,  of  General  Bliss  is  based  upon  a  thought 
of  a  second  increment  of  500,000  men,  but  the  memo,  of 
General  Sharpe  deals  only  with  men  now  in  sight  for 
training." 

BAKER, 
(S.  489)  Secretary  of  War. 

At  that  time,  May  29th,  it  had  already  been  decided 
to  make  the  first  call  of  the  Draft  for  500,000  men, 
which,  with  the  Regular  Army  and  National  Guard  both 
at  war  strength,  would  make  a  total  of  about  1,500,000 
men. 

On  July  11,  1917,  the  Committee  on  Supplies  was 
informed  that  it  had  then  been  furnished  with  the  re- 
quirements for  the  fourth  three  months  for  a  million 
men  and  for  the  initial  equipment  and  a  year's  upkeep 
for  500,000  men  and  the  Council  was  requested  to 
state  with  whom  the  contracts  were  to  be  placed  and  the 
prices  at  which  the  goods  should  be  purchased ;  and  was 
informed  that  it  was  urgent  that  arrangements  should 
be  made  for  obtaining  the  stores  at  the  earliest  prac- 
ticable date. 

On  July  11,  1917,  a  memorandum  was  submitted  by 
the  Quartermaster  General  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
as  follows: 

"Orders  have  been  placed,  or  will  be  placed  shortly, 


158       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

for  clothing  and  equipage  supplies  for  the  year's  re- 
quirements for  1,500,000  men.  It  is  understood  that 
approximately  2,000,000  men  are  to  be  mobilized.  It 
is  therefore  requested  that  authority  be  granted  this 
office  to  take  steps  to  place  additional  orders  for  an 
additional  500,000  men  for  clothing  and  equipage. 

"We  have  estimated  for  the  necessary  funds  in  the 
deficiency  estimates  which  have  just  been  submitted." 

Approval  of  this  request  was  given  by  the  Secretary 
of  War  on  the  same  date,  and  on  July  31,  1917  (S. 
508),  the  Committee  on  Supplies  was  requested  to  ad- 
vise the  Depot  Quartermaster  Philadelphia  where  the 
articles  could  be  obtained,  the  prices  at  which  they 
could  be  purchased  and  the  rates  of  delivery. 

The  deficiency  bill  passed  on  October  6,  1917,  and 
provided  for  2,033,345  men  for  the  year  ending  June 
30,  1918.  Just  shortly  after  the  date  of  its  passage,  by 
instructions  from  General  Bliss  the  then  Chief  of  Staff, 
the  estimates  for  the  fiscal  year  1919  were  to  be  pre- 
pared for  1,612,245  men  as  previously  shown.  On  Sep- 
tember 15,  1917,  request  was  made  upon  the  Secretary 
of  War  (S.  505)  for  authority  to  place  orders  for 
clothing  and  other  supplies  so  as  to  obtain  the  capacity 
of  the  mills  up  to  December  31,  1918,  thus  insuring 
prompt  deliveries.  This  request  was  approved  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  on  the  same  date.  Contracts  were 
thereafter  made  for  the  supplies  for  two  million  men, 
providing  for  deliveries  up  to  December  31,  1918,  when 
it  was  to  the  advantage  of  the  Government.  The  con- 
tracts thus  assuring  the  deliveries  all  through  the  cal- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION"  159 

endar  year  1918  made  it  possible  to  promptly  clothe 
and  equip  the  large  number  of  Selective  Service  men 
drafted  in  that  year  to  provide  the  reinforcement  of  the 
allied  battle  lines  needed  after  the  German  drive  of 
March,  1918.  Possibly  this  might  have  been  effected  if 
the  supplies  had  not  thus  been  assured,  but  it  is  thought 
this  action  substantially  assisted  in  the  successful  solu- 
tion of  the  problem.  Contracts  were  made  for  clothing 
and  equipage  supplies,  incurring  the  following  obliga- 
tions of  indebtedness : 

From  March  5,  1917,  to  June  30,  inclusive $240,729,264.36 

July   and   August 188,327,858.27 

October     148,899,509.03 

September,  November,  December,  estimated 188,327,858.27 

$766,284,489.93 

The  correct  figures  for  the  months  of  September,  No- 
vember and  December  are  not  available,  but  it  is  as- 
sumed that  the  purchases  made  those  three  months  equal 
those  made  in  July  and  August.  While  one  contract 
alone  made  in  September  involved  material  to  the  value 
of  $56,298,750,  to  be  conservative  the  estimate  for 
those  three  months  is  assumed  as  the  amount  of  the 
purchases  made  in  July  and  August. 

Contracts  for  the  purchase  of  shoes  were  made  on 
proposals  submitted  in  response  to  telegraphic  notice 
to  shoe  manufacturers.  These  proposals  were  con- 
sidered by  the  officer  assigned  to  act  with  the  Committee 
on  Supplies,  Colonel  Hirsch,  assisted  by  the  members 
of  the  Sub-Committee  composed  of  the  most  expert  shoe, 


160        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

manufacturers  in  the  country  and  contracts  made  in 
accordance  with,  the  awards. 

Cloth  and  other  articles  for  clothing  and  equipment 
were  handled  by  the  method  of  "merchandising."  This 
necessitated  a  personal  interview  by  the  manufacturer 
or  producer  with  the  Committee  on  Supplies,  at  which 
Colonel  Hirsch  was  present  and  sometimes  several  in- 
terviews were  necessary  before  a  satisfactory  agreement 
was  reached. 

As  previously  stated,  the  members  of  the  Committee 
on  Supplies  were  competent  and  successful  business  men 
who  Jiad  achieved  great  success  in  the  commercial 
world  in  building  up  great  corporations  by  skilful  mer- 
chandising; they  maintained  that  the  "merchandising" 
method  should  be  adopted  in  procuring  the  supplies  for 
the  Army  in  order  to  prevent  an  unwarranted  advance 
in  prices.  It  was  also  asserted  that  as  Army  officers 
had  been  trained  to  make  purchases  by  the  public  solici- 
tation of  proposals,  few  of  them  were  familiar  with  the 
merchandising  methods. 

In  "merchandising"  the  price  to  be  paid  is  naturally 
of  first  consideration,  for  one  expert  in  that  method 
of  purchase  endeavors  to  effect  it  at  the  very  lowest  price. 
In  fact  it  may  be  stated  as  a  fundamental  law  of  that 
method  that  of  the  two  parties  to  the  transaction  the 
first  endeavors  to  buy  at  the  lowest  and  the  second  to 
sell  at  the  highest  obtainable  price.  If  there  is  a  differ- 
ence as  to  price,  as  is  natural  under  this  law,  time  is 
necessary  to  compose  the  situation,  as  each  party  main- 
tains the  justness  of  his  proposition.     This  may  necessi- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  161 

tate  many  interviews  and  consume  much  time.  Further, 
such  negotiations  must  naturally  be  confidential,  for  if 
the  argument  and  prices  finally  agreed  upon  are  known 
to  others,  the  one  endeavoring  to  purchase  would  be 
handicapped  when  entering  upon  negotiations  with 
other  sellers,  and  the  seller  also  handicapped  when  ef- 
fecting a  sale  with  other  buyers.  Consequently,  it  is 
mutually  agreed  that  the  concessions  are  for  the  in- 
dividual only.  In  every  transaction  there  are  certain 
elements  to  be  considered,  and  therefore  there  must 
be  a  meeting  of  minds  to  agree  what  conditions  should  be 
considered  and  allowed  to  govern  in  each  transaction; 
as  the  cost  of  raw  material,  labor,  overhead  charges, 
financial  capacity,  and  state  of  equipment  will  vary  with 
each  individual.  The  necessity  of  considering  anything 
confidential  in  a  transaction  of  this  kind  for  the  pub- 
lic service  suggests  the  idea  of  secrecy,  always  abhorrent 
in  such  service. 

Then  again,  merchandising  for  such  an  enormous 
amount  of  supplies  as  the  Army  required  limited  the 
consideration  only  of  the  propositions  submitted  by 
manufacturers  or  producers.  To  have  extended  its 
application  to  dealers  or  others  would  have  given  op- 
portunity to  them  to  effect  a  corner  in  the  market. 
And  to  have  admitted  them  would,  even  if  there  were 
no  attempt  to  corner  the  market,  have  necessitated  the 
payment  of  an  amount  in  excess  of  the  actual  value  of 
the  articles  in  order  to  provide  them  their  commissions, 
which  it  was  their  business  to  secure.  So  it  may  be  as- 
sumed that  only  manufacturers  or  producers  could  be 


162        THE  QUAKTEKMASTER  CORPS 

considered,  for  from  them  only  could  the  lowest  pos- 
sible price  figures  be  secured. 

For  these  reasons  the  Committee  on  Supplies  adopted 
the  rule  of  dealing  with  no  middlemen  or  agents.  By 
so  doing,  the  Committee  eliminated  a  number  of  the 
individuals  or  firms  who,  because  in  times  of  peace 
purchases  were  made  by  issuing  public  notice  soliciting 
proposals,  having  offered  at  the  lowest  prices,  had  for- 
merly transacted  business  with  the  Quartermaster 
Corps.  Many  of  these  middlemen  or  agents  visited 
Washington  and  interviewed  the  Committee,  and  were 
disappointed  to  learn  that  they  could  transact  no  busi- 
ness with  it.  Exception  was  made  as  to  being  excluded 
from  the  business  and  some  complaints  were  made  re- 
garding the  manner  of  their  reception  by  the  Com- 
mittee. Several  of  the  complainants  being  men  of  in- 
fluence and  standing  in  their  communities,  called  later 
upon  the  Committee  accompanied  by  their  Senators  or 
Representatives,  or  bearing  letters  of  introduction  from 
them,  and  received  the  same  information.  Both  parties 
leaving  the  interview  entertaining  similar  views  as  to 
the  position  taken  regarding  the  rule  of  exclusion  and 
the  manner  of  their  reception.  The  officials  probably 
felt  that  their  dignity  had  been  affected  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  constituents.  This  undoubtedly  created 
a  feeling  of  resentment  among  members  of  Congress 
against  the  Committee  on  Supplies,  and  is  accountable 
for  the  opinion  formed  there  of  the  Committee,  which 
was  evident  later  when  the  Senate  Investigation  was 
undertaken. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  163 

The  manufacturers  and  producers,  being  unable  to 
ascertain  the  prices  paid  for  the  supplies  purchased  by 
the  Government,  finally  resorted  to  the  means  of  secur- 
ing them  by  inspecting  the  contracts  in  the  Returns 
Office,  Department  of  the  Interior,  where  by  law  all 
contracts  made  by  the  War  Department  must  be  placed 
on  file.  They  are  open  to  inspection  of  anyone  de- 
siring to  see  them  and  copies  can  be  secured  by  the 
payment  of  a  small  fee.  Anyone  who  is  familiar  with 
the  investigations  made  by  Congress  at  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  into  the  matter  of  Army  and  Navy  con- 
tracts must  recognize  the  wisdom  of  such  a  law.  In- 
formation as  to  prices  thus  secured  by  the  manufactur- 
ers or  producers  interfered,  however,  with  the  system 
of  merchandising  adopted  and  the  Secretary  of  War, 
on  request  of  the  Committee  on  Supplies,  directed  that 
the  contracts  should  be  held  some  time  before  being  for- 
warded to  the  Returns  Office  Department  of  the  In- 
terior. The  result  was  a  protest  against  such  action  but 
no  change  was  effected.  All  contracts  were,  after  a 
delay,  forwarded  for  file,  but  then  the  information  se- 
cured from  them  as  to  prices  was  not  sufficiently  up  to 
date  to  be  of  much  service. 

Unquestionably  the  supplies  procured  by  the  as- 
sistance of  the  Committee  on  Supplies  were  obtained 
at  the  lowest  possible  prices,  and  as  a  merchandising 
system  was  an  entire  success  and  tended  to  prevent  an 
abnormal  advance  in  prices  for  the  public  and  also  for 
the  allies.  But  in  practically  ignoring  the  element  of 
time,  which  was  so  vital  when  supplies  were  needed  at 


164       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

once  to  equip  the  Army,  the  system  failed.  For  if 
price,  and  not  time  of  delivery  is  the  dominating  ele- 
ment in  a  transaction,  the  merchandising  system  may 
result  in  late  deliveries  of  supplies,  just  because  of 
more  favorable  prices  for  same,  that  is,  lower  prices. 
This  is  noticeable  in  several  instances : 

In  March,  1917,  contract  was  made  with  the  Ameri- 
can Woolen  Company  for  a  considerable  quantity  of 
cloth,  and  for  blankets.  The  contract  expired  July  31, 
1917,  and  prior  to  that  time  the  Committee  on  Supplies 
was  urged  to  arrange  terms  with  the  company  for  a 
new  contract.  Shirting  flannel  and  blankets  were  es- 
pecially needed  to  meet  the  requirements  for  the  men 
going  to  the  camps  in  August  and  September.  To  have 
the  shirts  available  at  that  time,  the  shirting  flannel 
should  be  delivered  early  in  July  to  permit  the  making 
of  the  shirts  and  shipment  to  the  camps.  The  Ameri- 
can Woolen  Company  had  its  machinery  all  arranged 
and  the  force  available  to  produce  the  greatest  possible 
number  of  yards  of  shirting  flannel  a  day.  Many  in- 
terviews were  held  by  the  Committee  on  Supplies  with 
the  representatives  of  this  Company,  but  agreement 
as  to  prices  was  not  reached  until  a  short  time  prior 
to  September  22,  1917,  when  contract  was  made  involv- 
ing material  to  the  value  of  $56,298,750.00.  The  deliv- 
eries of  some  of  the  supplies  were  not  to  be  completed 
until  late  in  the  spring  of  1918.  On  this  contract  an 
advance  of  nearly  $19,000,000.00  was  made  to  the 
American  Woolen  Company  under  the  provisions  of  the 
Act  of  Congress  of  October  6,  1917,  which  permitted 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  165 

advances  of  funds  to  contractors  to  the  extent  of  one- 
third  of  the  amount  of  the  contract.  Purchase  of  000,- 
000  blankets  had  to  be  made  in  August,  1917,  to  meet 
the  situation  and  these,  of  course,  were  not  of  the  qual- 
ity or  color  prescribed  for  use  in  service  (S.  408).  In 
September  the  purchase  of  about  a  million  shirts  had 
to  be  made  to  supply  the  camps  (S.  508). 

On  August  31,  1917,  a  letter  was  sent  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Supplies,  stating  that  owing  to  a  change  of 
plans  over  which  the  Quartermaster  Corps  had  no  con- 
trol, the  demands  for  woolen  outer  clothing  and  woolen 
underwear  would  be  very  great.  The  change  of  plans 
referred  to  was  the  decision  to  ship  troops  abroad  each 
month ;  the  plan  was  adopted  without  consulting  the 
Quartermaster  General  as  to  the  supplies  available  for 
the  troops,  and  information  was  communicated  to  him 
by  a  casual  inquiry  as  to  whether  supplies  were  on  hand. 
The  letter  referred  to  stated  the  necessity  for  the  pur- 
chase of  nearly  1,500,000  suits  of  underwear.  On 
October  15,  1917,  the  Committee  on  Supplies  inquired 
if  the  quantities  referred  to  in  the  letter  were  in  addi- 
tion to  the  quantities  previously  stated,  and  on  October 
10th  was  informed  in  reply  that  they  were  in  addition. 
Meanwhile  as  the  underwear  was  not  forthcoming 
through  the  Committee  on  Supplies,  early  in  September 
the  depot  quartermasters  were  directed  to  buy  it  in 
open  market  for  immediate  delivery  and  to  make  ship- 
ments to  the  camps.  This  action  was  taken  under  para- 
graph 3  of  the  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  dated 
April  1 2,  1 9  1 7,  directing  that  the  assistance  of  the  Com- 


166        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

mittee  on  Supplies  should  be  sought  in  placing  orders 
for  supplies.    The  paragraph  reads,  as  follows : 

3.  It  is  understood,  however,  that  the  responsibility  of  the 
several  supply  bureaus  for  promptly  supplying  the  needs  of 
the  Army  must  be  recognized;  and  where  time  will  not  admit 
the  delay  involved  in  consulting  the  Munitions  Board,  the 
supply  bureaus  will  retain  their  present  initiative  in  contract- 
ing without  reference  to  the  board. 

This  action  directing  the  purchase  through  the  depots 
caused  a  protest  from  the  Committee  on  Supplies,  and 
a  conference  was  called  in  the  office  of  General  Bliss, 
Acting  Chief  of  Staff  on  September  9th,  and  up- 
on the  insistence  by  the  representative  of  the  Commit- 
tee that  the  Committee  and  the  Depot  Quartermasters 
should  not  both  be  in  the  market  at  the  same  time,  and 
upon  his  statement  that  he  could  have  sufficient  under- 
wear secured  and  on  the  way  to  the  camps  within  forty- 
eight  hours,  instructions  were  wired  the  depot  quarter- 
masters to  make  no  purchases.  However,  it  was  not  un- 
til the  latter  part  of  October  that  sufficient  woolen  un- 
derwear for  two  suits  per  man  was  on  hand,  and  then 
the  reserve  was  very  small.  Early  in  October  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  blankets  was  not  on  hand,  and  under 
paragraph  3  of  the  order  referred  to  the  Depot  Quarter- 
masters were  instructed  to  purchase  comforters  in  such 
numbers  that  each  man  in  the  camps  would  be  provided 
with  three  blankets  or  two  blankets  and  a  comforter. 
This  also  caused  a  protest  but  the  purchases  were  made 
and  the  men  provided,  the  protest,  however,  resulting 
in  a  practical  rescinding  of  the  paragraph  of  the  order 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION"  167 

as  far  as  future  purchases  by  the  Depot  Quartermas- 
ters was  concerned. 

The  Committee  on  Supplies,  shortly  after  commenc- 
ing to  operate,  requested  to  be  informed  of  the  number 
of  men  in  service,  and  later,  after  the  dispatch  of  troops 
abroad,  requested  the  number  of  troops  in  France.  The 
Quartermaster  General  informed  the  Committee  that 
orders  prohibited  the  furnishing  of  information  as  to 
the  number  of  troops  in  camps;  and  that  the  number 
in  France  was  guarded  with  such  perfect  secrecy  that 
the  Quartermaster  General  was  not  informed.  Later, 
the  Committee  received  the  information  from  some 
source,  but  not  through  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General.  This  information  was  evidently  desired  by 
the  Committee  to  enable  it  to  decide  whether  the  sup- 
plies called  for  were  needed  immediately  or  whether, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Committee,  the  need  was  not  ur- 
gent and  delay  in  procuring  them  would  be  of  advantage 
in  merchandising. 

Whenever  report  was  made  to  the  Committee  on  short- 
ages, request  would  be  made  by  it  to  be  informed  what 
had  been  done  with  all  that  had  already  been  bought. 
The  Committee  failed  to  realize  the  wear  and  tear  on 
a  soldier's  uniform  with  the  consequent  necessity  for 
quick  replacement.  Furthermore,  the  Committee  would 
express  opinions,  to  those  requesting  them,  as  to  whether 
the  condition  of  supplies  warranted  action  regarding 
the  calling  of  troops  at  a  designated  time.  Such  opin- 
ion would  be  adopted  by  those  desiring  an  opinion  favor- 
able to  the  plan  proposed,  in  preference  to  the  state- 


168       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ments  from  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General 
which  was  responsible  in  the  matter,  and  would  be  so 
held  even  if  action  were  taken  contrary  to  those  state- 
ments. An  instance  of  this  is  as  follows:  On  May 
22,  1917,  orders  were  issued  calling  the  first  500,000 
men  of  the  National  Army  to  the  colors.  On  July  18, 
1917,  effort  was  made  by  the  Quartermaster  Corps  to 
show  that  this  could  not  be  done  and  the  General  Staff 
conferred  with  the  Committee  on  Supplies  and  received 
from  it  figures  as  to  the  condition  of  supplies  and  an 
opinion  as  to  the  possibility  of  providing  for  the  call, 
which  were  at  variance  with  those  from  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General.  The  views  of  the  Committee 
on  Supplies  prevailed  and  the  men  were  called  under 
date  of  August  24,  1917.  (S.  500-1.)  The  Com- 
mittee's figures  and  opinion  were  given  subsequent  to 
a  letter  forwarded  it  on  August  4,  1917,  which  quoted 
a  letter  from  the  Depot  Quartermaster  at  Jeffersonville, 
Ind.,  stating  that  the  supply  of  shirting  flannel  was 
exhausted  at  the  Depot.  The  letter  continued:  "It 
may  be  well  to  state  in  this  connection,  that  from  re- 
ports coming  to  this  office,  it  would  seem  that  the  Com- 
mittee on  Supplies  have  been  misinformed  as  to  the 
amount  of  clothing  and  equipment  on  hand  for  issue 
to  the  Army.  And  it  should  also  be  stated  that  any 
shortage  of  clothing  is  not  due  to  the  failure  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  to  conserve  the  supply  or  have  the 
material  made  into  garments  as  rapidly  as  delivered, 
but  is  due  to  two  causes,  namely :     1.  Deliveries  under 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  169 

contract  not  being  sufficiently  early  to  meet  the  de- 
mands; 2.  Delinquencies  under  existing  contracts." 

It  should  be  noted  that  in  time  of  peace  when  de- 
linquencies occurred  under  a  contract,  the  Quartermas- 
ter Corps  purchased  in  open  market,  charging  any  ex- 
cess cost  against  the  contractor  or  those  who  had  guar- 
anteed security  under  his  bond.  When  operating  by  the 
assistance  of  the  Committee  on  Supplies  this  was  not 
possible,  as  the  Committee  maintained  it  would  disturb 
market  prices,  and  furthermore  that  it  had  practically 
all  the  mills  operating  to  fill  the  orders.  On  August  17, 
1917,  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Supplies  at  a 
hearing  before  the  Committee  on  Appropriations  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  stated : 

"Aside  from  uniforms  I  would  say  that  there  should 
be  no  question  but  what  the  needs  of  500,000  men 
could  be  supplied  on  the  1st  of  September." 

Being  asked  "How  about  uniforms  ?"  he  replied : 

"A  large  part  of  them  will ;  possibly  not  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  be  able  to  fit  every  man,  because  this  must 
be  taken  into  consideration,  that  it  requires  many  times 
as  many  uniforms  a§  there  are  men  in  order  to  be  able 
to  fit  the  men ;  the  surplus  stock  required  is  very  con- 
siderable." 

As  uniforms  were  the  essential  necessity  at  the  camps 
in  case  of  the  calling  of  the  men,  and  the  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Supplies  indicating  by  his  reply  that 
there  would  be  a  shortage,  thus  agreeing  with  the  state- 


170       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ments  from  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General, 
it  is  regretted  that  his  views  were  not  accepted  by  the 
General  Staff  in  preference  to  those  of  other  members 
of  the  Committee  on  Supplies. 

The  conditions  which  existed  as  far  as  supplies  were 
concerned  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  were  very  similar 
to  those  in  England,  and  it  is  believed  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  adopt  some  plan  to  effect  the  large  purchases  re- 
quired with  as  little  disturbance  as  possible  to  the  mar- 
ket. There  the  plan  adopted  was  to  form  a  civilian 
body,  headed  by  the  Surveyor  General  of  Supplies,  who 
purchased  all  the  materials.  Associated  with  him  was 
an  Advisory  Board  composed  of  officers  from  the  sev- 
eral Supply  Departments.  The  Quartermaster  General 
for  the  Forces,  the  Master  General  of  Ordnance  and 
other  supply  officers  formed  a  board  in  the  War  Office. 
This  latter  board  prepared  the  requirements  and  for- 
warded them  to  the  Surveyor  General  of  Supplies  with 
instructions  to  buy  the  quantity  desired  at  the  time 
designated ;  and  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Surveyor  Gen- 
eral of  Supplies  to  see  that  the  deliveries  were  made 
in  the  quantity  desired  and  at  the  time  specified. 

Every  possible  credit  should  be  given  the  Committee 
on  Supplies  for  the  zeal,  industry  and  intelligence  con- 
stantly displayed  in  all  of  its  transactions  and  also  for 
the  enterprise  shown  in  inducing  new  plants  to  under- 
take the  manufacture  of  blankets,  ducks  and  the  sev- 
eral cloths  required  for  the  uniforms.  The  manner 
in  which  plants  were  transformed  and  arranged  so  as 
to  make  possible  the  production  of  fabrics  which  before 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  171 

that  time  would  be  considered  an  impossibility  for  such 
plants  was  truly  astounding. 

A  country  which  adopts  a  policy  of  neglecting,  in 
time  of  peace,  to  prepare  for  war  insists  upon  the  utmost 
economy  as  regards  money  matters  and  adopts  a  most 
improvident  and  wasteful  extravagance  of  time;  time 
which  should  have  been  utilized  in  making  preparations, 
that  is,  providing  its  National  insurance. 

When  such  a  country  is  later  forced  into  war,  it 
necessarily  is  compelled  to  reverse  its  action  and,  in 
order  to  provide  for  the  troops  in  the  short  time  avail- 
able, must  exercise  economy  as  to  time  and  be  extrava- 
gant as  regards  money. 

The  adoption  of  the  merchandising  method  of  pro- 
curing the  supplies  in  time  of  war  means  a  continuation 
of  the  erroneous  policy  adopted  in  peace  time,  for  to 
succeed  in  such  a  method  the  vital  element  of  time  must 
be  wastefully  squandered  in  order  to  effect  the  pur- 
chases at  the  lowest  possible  prices ;  consequently  it  is 
not  a  method  of  procurement  of  supplies  which  can 
be  wisely  adopted  in  time  of  war. 

Later  in  the  year  after  the  purchase  of  a  quantity  of 
wool  in  Australia  and  the  opening  of  a  Wool  Purchas- 
ing Depot  in  Boston,  the  Committee  on  Supplies  chang- 
ed its  method  of  arranging  for  contracts  for  material, 
by  determining  the  price  it  would  pay  per  yard  and 
then  allocating  the  yardage  to  the  various  mills.  Even 
under  this  plan  certain  concessions  were  allowed,  or 
demanded,  because  of  the  character  of  the  machinery 
or  the  overhead  charges. 


172       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

There  were  expert  officers,  secured  from  civil  life, 
who  were  stationed  at  such  mills  as  had  Government 
contracts.  The  law  requiring  the  inspection  of  Govern- 
ment supplies  on  delivery,  the  officers  at  those  mills  in- 
spected the  cloth  when  manufactured.  They  then  fur- 
nished a  certificate  to  the  depot  and  shipped  the  cloth 
at  once  to  clothing  manufacturers.  The  depots  paid  for 
the  cloth  upon  the  receipt  of  certificate  of  inspection; 
at  the  Boston  Depot  the  payments  were  made  thirty- 
six  hours  after  the  delivery  of  the  cloth  as  just  described. 

There  were  in  the  country  a  large  number  of  clothing 
manufacturers,  and  as  authority  had  been  received  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  to  make  contracts  without  ad- 
vertising, when  it  was  known  the  date  cloth  would  be 
available  contracts  were  at  once  made  so  that  the  fac- 
tory would  be  prepared  to  commence  work  immediately 
upon  the  delivery  of  the  cloth.  Once  commencing  oper- 
ations it  was  necessary  to  keep  that  factory  supplied 
with  cloth,  otherwise  it  would  be  obliged  to  lay  off  some 
of  the  employees ;  if  this  once  happened,  some  time 
would  elapse  before  the  employees  would  again  be  as- 
sembled land  therefore  delay  in  the  production  of  the 
completed  garments  would  result.  Orders  were  issued, 
however,  to  depots  not  to  hold  cloth  in  reserve,  nor  allow 
a  contractor  to  have  more  in  his  possession  than  to  pro- 
vide for  a  few  days'  operation,  and  if  there  was  any  un- 
necessary delay  in  a  contractor's  delivery  of  garments 
whatever  cloth  was  in  his  possession  was  to  be  with- 
drawn and  given  to  some  other  contractor  to  expedite 
the  delivery  of  the  garments. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  173 

The  difficulty  at  all  times  was  to  secure  the  cloth 
in  sufficient  quantities  and  with  early  deliveries  so  as 
to  allow  time  to  cut,  make  and  trim  the  uniforms.  The 
contracts  for  manufacturing  the  garments  were,  until 
some  time  in  October,  made  by  the  Depot  Quartermas- 
ter at  Philadelphia.  After  October,  the  contracts  were 
made  by  Colonel  Hirsch,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  office 
of  the  Purchasing  and  Manufacturing  Quartermaster 
in  Washington. 

On  April  3,  1917,  the  Boston  Wool  Trade  Associa- 
tion forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  War  a  resolution, 
passed  unanimously  by  the  Association,  in  which  it  was 
resolved  that  the  members  of  the  wool  trade  of  Boston 
would  neither  sell  nor  buy  any  wool  in  this  country  nor 
in  transit  thereto  until  further  notice  from  the  Com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  Association,  and  they  further 
resolved  to  offer  the  entire  stock  of  wool  tops  and  noils 
to  the  United  States  Government  at  values  current  on 
April  2nd,  as  handsome  and  patriotic  an  offer,  it  is  be- 
lieved, as  any  of  the  many  handsome  things  done  during 
the  war.  This  resolution  was  acknowledged  by  the  As- 
sistant Secretary  of  War  on  April  5th,  and  the  same 
day  the  Secretary  of  War  sent  the  following  telegram 
to  the  Boston  Wool  Trade  Association : 

"We  wish  to  express  sincere  appreciation  of  your  patriotic 
action  looking  to  assist  the  Government  in  supplying  its  needs 
for  wool.  I  have  referred  the  matter  to  the  Munitions  Board 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  and  you  will  undoubtedly 
hear  from  them  shortly." 

Copies  of  the  correspondence  were  furnished  the  Of- 


174       THE  QUAKTEKMASTEE  COKPS 

fice  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  but  no  report  or  rec- 
ommendation was  called  for.  The  telegram  from  the 
Secretary  of  War  stated  that  the  resolutions  were  re- 
ferred to  the  Munitions  Board  of  the  Council  of  Na- 
tional Defense,  and  also  stated  that  the  Munitions  Board 
would  reply. 

At  that  time  the  appropriations  of  the  Quartermas- 
ter Corps  were  completely  exhausted.  There  was  a  de- 
ficiency incurred  in  1916  of  $34,000,000  and  obliga- 
tions greatly  in  excess  of  $100,000,000  had  been  made 
for  the  supplies  contracted  for  to  clothe  and  equip  the 
army.  The  purchase  of  wool  would  require  "spot" 
cash  and  there  were  no  funds  available.  In  addition, 
wool,  as  such,  had  never  been  bought  out  of  the  appro- 
priation and  it  was  a  question  if  it  could  be  as  Sec.  3678 
of  the  Revised  Statutes  states  that  the  sums  appropri- 
ated shall  be  applied  solely  to  the  objects  for  which  they 
are  respectively  made  and  for  no  others.  It  was,  fur- 
thermore, the  impression  that  the  resolutions  were  re- 
ferred to  the  Munitions  Board  because  it  was  composed 
of  business  men  who  would  suggest  the  proper  action 
to  be  taken.  As  far  as  the  Quartermaster  Corps  was 
concerned  it  had  never  made  speculative  purchases  and 
none  of  its  officers  was  trained  in  that  character  of  busi- 
ness. The  reply  was  made  to  these  resolutions  by  the 
Chief  of  the  Raw  Materials,  Minerals  and  Metals  Sec- 
tion of  the  Munitions  Board  but  no  information  as  to 
the  action  was  ever  furnished  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General.  In  the  light  of  future  events,  it  is  a 
pity  that  some  arrangements  were  not  made  whereby 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  175 

this  handsome  offer  could  have  been  accepted  as  it  was 
so  advantageous  to  the  Government.  While  copper  was 
largely  used  by  the  Signal  Corps  and  the  Ordnance  De- 
partments, neither  of  those  bureaus  had  to  buy  up  all 
the  supply.  It  is  also  pertinent  to  recall  that  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  endeavored  to  secure  the  first  war  appro- 
priation of  about  $3,000,000,000  as  a  lump  sum  and 
Congress  declined  to  make  the  appropriation  in  that 
form  but  made  it  in  the  usual  form  of  specifying  the 
items.  The  fair  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  that  ac- 
tion was  that  Congress  intended  the  provisions  of  Sec- 
tion 3678  should  be  observed. 

Some  time  in  June  it  was  represented  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Supplies  that  in  order  to  obtain  the  supply 
of  clothing  required  for  the  Army  it  would  be  necessary 
to  control  the  wool  supply.  Two  of  the  officers  on  duty 
in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  were  directed 
to  consult  with  the  accounting  officials  of  the  Treasury 
Department  to  ascertain  whether  under  the  terms  and 
verbiage  of  the  law  it  was  possible  to  buy  wool.  On 
June  6th  these  officers  reported  that  the  officials  con- 
sulted held  that  that  purchase  could  be  made.  There 
were  still  no  funds  on  hand  as  the  appropriation  bill 
did  not  pass  until  June  15th  and  the  funds  included 
in  the  bill  did  not  become  available  until  after  July  1st:. 

On  July  11,  1917,  the  Quartermaster  General  re* 
quested  authority  to  buy  supplies  for  an  additional 
500,000  men,  making  2,000,000  in  all.  The  estimates 
submitted  in  August  were  for  2,033,345  men  for  the 
fiscal  year  1918.     The  Secretary  of  War  in  approving 


176       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  request  stated  "The  policy  of  purchasing  a  certain 
amount  of  wool  will  first  be  put  into  effect."  The  sum 
of  $10,000,000  was  made  available  for  this  purchase 
and  conference  held  with  the  Committee  on  Supplies 
to  arrange  the  manner  and  methods  of  purchase.  A 
Quartermaster  wool-buying  office  was  established  on 
August  1,  1917,  in  Boston,  Mass.  For  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  and  maintaining  a  supply  of  wool  avail- 
able at  all  times  while  the  war  should  last  so  that 
manufacturers  contracting  for  supplies  for  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  might  be  protected  in  their  bids  in 
the  event  that  they  did  not  own  the  wool  themselves, 
the  following  Committee,  denominated  "The  Com- 
mittee on  Wool  Supply  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense"  was  appointed  by  the  Committee  on  Sup- 
plies of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  and  the  ap- 
pointments confirmed  by  the  Secretary  of  War:  Mr. 
Jacob  F.  Brown,  Chairman;  Mr.  Stephen  C.  Metealf, 
Mr.  Frederick  S.  Clark,  with  Mr.  Robert  H.  Stevenson, 
Jr.,  as  Secretary ;  Captain  W.  B.  Grade,  Quartermaster 
Corps,  was  detailed  to  take  charge  of  the  wool  office 
in  Boston. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  War  Department  to  main- 
tain a  reserve  supply  of  wool  approximating,  but  not 
exceeding,  $25,000,000,  and  to  endeavor  to  keep  this 
quantity  as  a  working  stock  ahead  of  orders.  Based  on 
this  the  Committee  was  to  proceed  to  purchase  $10,- 
000,000  to  $12,000,000  worth  of  wool,  a  portion  of 
which  should  be  suitable  for  the  8^-ounce  flannel,  16- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  177 

ounce  suiting,  30-ounce  overcoating  and  blankets,  with 
possibly  some  finer  wool  adapted  for  underwear. 

It  was  easy  to  speak  of  the  desirability  of  the  pur- 
chase of  wool  for  the  Government,  but  it  was  not  a 
simple  matter  to  arrange  the  method  of  purchase  and 
this  fact  was  fully  appreciated  by  the  gentlemen  com- 
posing the  Committee.  As  they  were  all  engaged  in 
the  wool  business,  the  plan  adopted  had  to  consider 
the  possible  criticism  of  their  action  based  on  that  fact ; 
then  the  method  of  payment  for  the  purchases,  the  in- 
spection of  the  wool  on  delivery,  the  storage  of  the  wool 
carried  as  reserve,  the  payment  of  charges  for  storage 
and  drayage,  and  the  insurance  of  the  wool  in  storage; 
also  the  method  of  making  sales  of  the  wool  to  the  Gov- 
ernment contractors  and  the  manner  in  which  payments 
would  be  effected.  These  were  all  matters  of  the  most 
vital  importance,  for  if  the  fullest  consideration  had 
not  been  given  to  these  subjects,  the  opportunity  of 
criticism  might  have  arisen  and  the  possibility  of  cast- 
ing unjust  reflection  upon  the  members  of  the  Commit- 
tee. In  addition,  forms  for  accounting  for  the  wool  pur- 
chased, vouchers  for  the  payment  of  same  and  receipts 
for  the  sale  of  the  wool  had  to  be  devised  and  their 
approval  secured  by  the  accounting  officials  of  the  Treas- 
ury Department. 

The  ability  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  wool  busi- 
ness and  of  all  of  its  ramifications,  possessed  by  the 
members  of  the  Wool  Committee,  enabled  it  to  devise 
the  plan  of  its  operations,  and  their  standing  in  the  busi- 


178        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ness  community  secured  the  assistance  and  cooperation 
of  the  Wool  Trade  in  Boston. 

Arrangements  were  perfected  through  the  State  De- 
partment to  effect  a  purchase  of  about  78,000,000 
pounds  of  wool  in  Australia,  and  through  the  Shipping 
Board  to  secure  its  transportation  to  this  country.  The 
Committee  on  Wool  Purchase  prepared  instruction  pre- 
scribing the  manner  in  which  the  Australian  wool 
should  be  inspected  and  delivered  and  the  method  of 
payment. 

Plans  for  the  organization  of  a  wool  purchasing  of- 
fice having  been  effected,  in  order  to  more  completely 
control  the  wool  situation  and  particularly  that  portion 
derived  from  re-worked  wools,  the  Committee  on  Sup- 
plies emphasized  the  necessity  of  the  control  of  clip- 
pings from  Government  cloths  and  also  the  rags  from 
wornout  and  condemned  blankets  and  uniforms.  The 
Committee  on  Supplies  recommended  that  contracts  be 
entered  into  for  this  purpose  with  the  Base  Sorting 
Plant  in  New  York,  and  stated  that  the  prices  named  in 
the  contracts  were  established  by  the  Committee's  own 
experts  and  were  considered  fair  and  just.  As  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  had  never  undertaken  the  work 
of  sorting  rags  there  were  no  officers  in  the  Corps  who 
were  trained  in  the  work  or  who  possessed  knowledge 
of  the  business.  The  members  of  the  Committee  on 
Supplies  were  expert  business  men  assigned  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  to  assist  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
in  the  work  imposed  upon  it  by  the  War,  the  fair  as- 
sumption heing  that  the  Committee  would  be  of  especial 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  179 

assistance  in  any  new  line  of  work,  particularly  such 
in  which  it  claimed  to  have  experts.  The  Committee 
on  Supplies  having  stated  that  it  had  experts  on  this 
line  of  work  and  that  the  prices  were  fair  and  just,  in- 
structions were  given  to  enter  upon  the  contracts.  Later 
it  developed,  after  an  investigation  ordered  by  the  Quar- 
termaster General,  that  the  prices  charged  in  the  con- 
tracts were  excessive,  and  they  were  terminated  by 
authority  of  the  Secretary  of  War  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Quartermaster  General,  and  over  the 
protest  of  some  of  the  members  of  the  Committee  on 
Supplies. 

The  supervision  of  the  operations  of  the  Base  Sorting 
Plant  for  the  four  months  of  the  existence  of  the  con- 
tracts was  entrusted  to  the  Depot  Quartermaster,  New 
York,  who  also  made  the  investigation.  That  officer 
and  his  assistants  thus  became  familiar  with  the  work 
and  learned  where  the  necessary  experts  could  be  se- 
cured. Upon  the  termination  of  the  contracts  the  work 
was  continued  by  the  Depot  Quartermaster  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Conservation  Division  of  the  Office 
of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

COMMITTEE  ON  SUPPLIES 
(Later  the  Supplies  Section  of  the  Finished  Products  Division 

of  the  War  Industries  Board.) 
Julius  Rosenwald,  Chairman  Rufus  W.  Scott 

Charles  Eisemnan,  Vice-  F.  R  Eddington 

Chairman  C.  B.  Stevens 

Albert  L.  Scott  S.  M.  Kaplan 

Harry  L.  Baily  S.  F.  Strook 

Millor  Wilson  Jacob  F.  Brown 

D.  D.  Martin  Stephen  0.  Metcalf 


180       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Arthur  Lawrence  Frederic  S.  Clark 

J.  F.  McElwain  Maj.  H.  S.  Wonson 

Lincoln  Cromwell  Capt.  B.  B.  Burgunder 
F.  E.  Haiffbt 


BOARD  OF  CONTROL  OF  LABOR  CONDITIONS 

The  contracts  for  making  articles  of  uniform  con- 
tained clauses  requiring  the  enforcement  of  the  Eight 
Hour  Law  and  the  Child  Labor  Law,  and  also  a  clause 
prohibiting  the  sub-letting  of  the  contract,  this  to  pre- 
vent the  possibility  of  the  work  of  the  making  of  uni- 
forms being  done  in  sweatshops.  Before  awarding  a 
contract,  the  shops  in  which  the  work  was  to  be  done 
were  inspected  by  the  contracting  officer  to  determine  if 
the  equipment  was  sufficient  to  insure  compliance  with 
the  terms  of  the  contract.  In  June,  1917,  reports 
reached  the  Mayor  of  New  York  that  the  uniforms  for 
the  Army  were  being  made  on  the  sweatshop  system  and 
the  report  of  the  Committee  appointed  by  him  was 
forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  directed  an 
investigation  of  the  matter.  The  report  submitted  in 
pursuance  of  this  order  indicated  that  in  some  instances 
uniforms  had  been  sent  from  the  contractor's  shops  in 
order  to  be  hand-finished  as  required  by  the  contracts. 
The  Quartermaster  General  issued  instructions  prohib- 
iting the  sending  of  the  uniforms  from  the  contractor's 
shops,  and  to  effectively  remove  the  possibility  of  such 
action,  the  specifications  for  making  the  garments  were 
changed  so  as  to  eliminate  all  handwork  upon  them, 
and  requiring  all  work  to  be  done  by  machine. 

On  August  24,   1917,  the  Secretary  of  War  estab- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  181 

listed  the  Board  of  Control  of  Labor  Standards  for 
Army  Clothing,  which  was  composed  of  two  civilians 
and  an  officer  detailed  from  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 
The  Board  was  to  operate  under  the  direction  of  the 
Quartermaster  General.  Offices  were  secured  for  the 
Board  in  New  York  City  and  the  necessary  personnel 
provided,  consisting  of  clerks  and  stenographers,  in- 
spectors of  labor  conditions,  a  fire  hazard  inspector,  and 
later  an  officer  was  assigned  from  the  office  of  the  Depot 
Quartermaster  in  New  York,  to  act  as  inspector  of  wage 
conditions. 

All  contracts  for  making  uniform  clothing  were  made 
by  the  Depot  Quartermaster,  Philadelphia,  and  that  of- 
ficer was  directed  before  entering  upon  a  contract  to 
communicate  with  the  Board  of  Control  and  secure  a 
certificate  that  the  labor  conditions  of  any  firm's  plant 
were  satisfactory,  and  that  its  normal  capacity  was  suf- 
ficient to  enable  the  contract  to  be  executed  in  accord- 
ance with  its  terms.  That  officer  was  also  directed 
to  inform  the  Quartermaster  General  in  case  there  was 
any  delay  in  receiving  the  above  required  certificate. 
The  Board's  final  report  shows  that  after  October  1st 
the  time  of  one  inspector  was  fully  spent  in  following  up 
clues  as  to  the  existence  of  home  finishing  of  uniforms 
made  under  Government  contract,  and  that  only  one 
verified  instance  was  found.  The  Board  was  called  to 
report  upon  129  firms  and  many  of  these  had  addi- 
tional shops  in  which  they  carried  on  their  work.  The 
Board  approved  or  disapproved  of  each  shop  on  its  own 
merits,  and  a  copy  of  its  report  to  the  Depot  Quarter- 


182        THE  QUARTEKMASTEK  CORPS 

master  was  furnished  each  firm.  The  disapproval  of  a 
shop  was  not  final,  as  upon  making  the  specified  changes, 
the  disapproval  would  be  removed. 

Two  firms  were  disapproved  by  the  Board  for  rea- 
sons other  than  shop  conditions  in  regard  to  safety  and 
sanitation.  One  of  these  was  on  account  of  labor 
troubles  and  the  other  on  account  of  a  pending  prose- 
cution against  the  firm  by  the  New  York  City  Fire  De- 
partment. The  latter  firm  made  the  changes  required 
by  the  Fire  Department.  Inspections  were  made  by 
the  Board  in  New  England,  New  York  City,  New 
Jersey,  Philadelphia,  Maryland,  Georgia,  Alabama, 
New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis,  and  arrangements  were 
being  perfected  to  district  the  country  and  to  have,  in 
addition  to  the  New  York  force,  inspection  headquar- 
ters in  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Chicago.  These  ar- 
rangements, however,  were  not  effected  by  December 
31,  1917.  The  Board  of  Control  of  Labor  Standards 
for  Army  Clothing  consisted  of  Mr.  Louis  C.  Kirstein, 
Chairman;  Mrs.  Florence  Kelley,  Secretary,  and  Cap- 
tain Walter  E.  Konesi,  Q.  M.  O.  R.  member. 

Time  when  troops  could  he  equipped;  Calling  troops 
in  advance  of  the  time  designated ;  Shipping  troops  to 
France  complicated  the  conditions  as  to  supply. — In 
reply  to  an  inquiry  by  the  Chief  of  Staff,  the  Quarter- 
master General  on  March  13,  1917,  stated:     (S.  473)  : 

"1.  Clothing  and  equipment  necessary  for  one  mil- 
lion' men  can,  under  existing  conditions,  be  procured 
within  ten  months  with  the  understanding  that  it  might 
be  necessary  to  purchase  some  blankets  which  do  not 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  183 

conform   to   existing   specifications,    but   which   would 
closely  approximate  standard  quality  and  color." 

(It  will  be  noted  that  the  ten  months  specified  would 
end  December  31,  1917.) 

The  Adjutant  General  on  March  21,  1917,  by  direc- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  War  directed  that  the  follow- 
ing information  be  furnished : 

"7.  If  large  numbers  of  men  have  to  be  trained 
before  they  can  be  equipped  with  regulation  uniforms, 
etc.,  is  the  Quartermaster  General  prepared  to  at  once 
recommend  some  kind  of  comfortable  civilian  clothing, 
from  hat  to  shoes,  which  can  be  purchased  commercially 
in  quantities  sufficient  for,  say,  500,000  men  ?" 

To  which  reply  was  made  the  same  date,  as  follows : 

"7.  If  authorized  today  to  place  orders  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  clothing  and  equipage,  it  is  believed  this 
office  can  open  communication  with  the  bidders  under 
the  opening  of  March  5th  and  place  additional  orders 
for  sufficient  clothing  and  equipage  (taking  into  con- 
sideration the  obsolete  clothing  now  on  hand  and  which 
has  been  held  for  possible  emergency  use)  to  take  care 
of  500,000  men,  including  the  Regular  Army  and  the 
National  Guard,  within  sixty  days,  or  as  rapidly  as 
the  recruits  can  be  enrolled."     (S.  474-5.) 

It  will  be  noted  that  reference  in  the  above  inquiry 
of  the  Adjutant  General  is  made  to  supplying  the  men 
if  called  early  for  training  with  civilian  clothing. 

The  Secretary  of  War  on  January  10,  1918,  stated 
as  follows  before  the  Senate  Committee  on  Military 
Affairs: 


184        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

"At  the  outset  there  was  a  question  to  be  decided  as 
to  which  of  two  policies  ought  to  be  pursued,  whether 
we  ought  to  assemble  a  large  force  and  begin  its  train- 
ing before  it  could  be  fully  clothed  in  soldier  clothes 
and  equipped,  and  let  the  equipment  and  clothing  come 
along  as  it  could,  or  whether  we  ought  to  postpone  the 
assembling  of  large  forces  and  delay  their  training  until 
full  equipment  was  actually  in  hand.  Speaking  of  my 
own  part  in  it,  I  was  earnestly  urged  by  men  of  great 
weight  to  call  out  large  forces  at  once,  and  men  of  dis- 
tinguished military  experience  and  reputation  said  to 
me  that  it  was  unimportant  whether  they  drilled  in  their 
own  clothes,  or  whether,  at  the  outset,  they  had  rifles; 
that  the  elements  of  military  training  were  such  that 
men  could  drill  in  their  own  clothes  without  arms  for  a 
while." 

On  January  28,  1918,  the  Secretary  of  War  stated 
before  the  Senate  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  that 
a  very  competent  General  officer  had  called  at  his  of- 
fice— "I  have  forgotten  when,  but  it  was  early — and 
suggested  to  me  the  advisability  of  instantly  calling 
out  a  large  army.  I  said,  'But,  General,  we  have  not 
the  clothes  and  we  have  not  the  weapons  for  them.'  He 
said,  'I  know  that,  Mr.  Secretary,  and  they  need  many 
things  before  they  need  the  rifles.  They  need  to  live 
together,  get  used  to  camp  conditions ;  they  need  the  ele- 
mental discipline  of  camp  life ;  they  need  to  be  taught 
to  keep  step;  they  need  to  know  the  subordinations  of 
the  Army  and  it  will  take  some  time  to  give  them  that 
preliminary  instruction.'  He  pointed  out  to  me  that  in 
England,    the    so-called    Kitchener    army    drilled    for 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  185 

months,  as  be  said,  in  their  civilian  clothes,  with  top 
hats  and  using  a  stick  for  arms.  I  said  to  him,  'General, 
I  agree  with  you  that  it  is  important  to  have  our  Army 
equipped  rapidly  so  that  a  prolonged  period  of  training 
may  be  given  to  them ;  but  we  will  call  out  first  the 
Regular  Army  and  then  we  will  call  out  the  National 
Guard,  build  it  up  to  war  strength.'  But  with  the  draft 
army  they  would  have  an  additional  period  of  train- 
ing in  the  field  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  Army 
cannot  be  shipped  abroad  in  bulk  suddenly.  It  was 
necessary  to  attempt  to  forecast  the  amount  of  time 
needed  for  training,  and  it  was  deemed  wise  to  put  the 
men  in  the  camps  in  order  that  they  might  learn  this 
matter  of  camp  discipline,  camp  sanitation,  the  ele- 
ments and  essentials  of  the  soldier's  life  a  little  in  ad- 
vance of  their  being  fully  tried  with  arms."  (S.  1944.) 
At  the  same  hearing  the  Secretary  of  War  stated : 

"I  have  already  said  to  you  that  at  the  outset  we  had 
the  problem  as  to  whether  we  should  wait  until  we  had 
an  adequate  supply  of  clothing  or  whether  we  should 
not." 

"I  did  not  then  know  nor  do  I  know  now,  nor  can  I 
know,  how  rapidly  it  may  be  necessary  for  us  to  send 
men  to  France.  I  know  how  rapidly  we  have  sent 
them.  I  know  how  many  are  there.  I  know  what 
our  present  plan  is  to  send  them,  but  I  do  not  know  but 
tomorrow — this  has  not  happened — but  I  do  not  know 
but  that  tomorrow  it  might  turn  out  that  it  would  be 
wise  to  double  the  rate  at  which  we  are  sending  troops." 
(S.  1,759-8.) 


186        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

In  Requin's  book  "America's  Race  to  Victory"  on 
page  43  we  read  as  follows : 

"Without  following-  day  by  day  the  development  of 
this  organization,  we  may  note  in  the  following  pages 
its  principal  stages. 

"Nothing  comparable  with  it  had  been  done  since  the 
formation  of  the  British  Armies  in  1915-1916.  Be- 
sides, the  problem  faced  by  the  United  States  offered 
conditions  of  peculiar  difficulty,  since,  aside  from  men 
and  money,  everything  had  either  to  be  created  or  trans- 
formed. It  was  possible  to  shorten  the  period  of  prep- 
aration ;  unfortunately  it  was  not  possible  to  dispense 
with  it." 

"It  was  the  delays  of  the  Young  British  Armies  in 
preparing  to  take  the  offensive  that  permitted  the  Ger- 
man General  Staff  to  wage  a  local  combat  with  the 
French  Army  at  Verdun  from  February  21  to  July  1, 
1916." 

Requin  was  on  duty  at  the  War  College  all  through 
the  war  and  the  views  of  that  most  capable  and  experi- 
enced officer  undoubtedly  were  given  great  weight. 

On  April  2,  1917,  a  memorandum  was  submitted  to 
the  Chief  of  Staff  by  the  Quartermaster  General  which 
stated : 

"5.  It  will  require  four  months  to  complete  the 
equipment  of  the  Regular  Army  and  National  Guard, 
both  at  war  strength  (approximately  500,000  men) 
with  regulation  articles  except  tentage. 

"6.  To  equip  another  500,000  men  will  require  five 
months  in  addition  to  the  preceding  four  months,  pro- 
vided that  all  the  orders  for  the  second  500,000  men 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  187 

could  be  placed  at  the  same  time  as  the  orders  for  the 
equipment  of  the  first  500,000  men." 

Foreseeing  that  it  was  the  intention  to  call  an  addi- 
tional 500,000  men,  the  Quartermaster  General  on 
April  3,  1917,  received  authority  to  effect  the  purchases 
for  that  number,  but  no  instructions  to  obtain  this  au- 
thority were  given  to  him. 

On  April  16,  1917,  in  a  memorandum  by  the  Quarter- 
master General  for  the  Chief  of  Staff  it  was  stated : 

"It  is  understood  that  the  'other  plan'  referred  to  is 
for  this  Department  to  be  prepared  to  equip  500,000 
men  by  the  end  of  July  and  500,000  more  by  the  31st 
of  December,  with  proper  uniforms  and  equipage,  or 
to  clothe  and  equip  the  first  500,000  by  the  middle  of 
June  with  articles  closely  approximating  standard  arti- 
cles and  the  second  500,000  similarly  by  November  1st. 
It  will  not,  in  the  opinion  of  this  office,  be  practicable 
to  properly  clothe  and  equip  this  or  any  other  number  of 
men  more  than  was  provided  for  in  the  original  plan." 
(S.  477). 

The  original  plan  was  the  one  of  March  13,  1917, 
for  1,000,000  men,  and  the  statement  above  made  that 
it  was  not  practicable  to  provide  for  more  than  that 
number  was  added  because  in  March  89,000  men  of  the 
National  Guard  had  been  called  to  the  colors  when  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  had  been  notified  that  only  03,000 
men  would  be  called.  This  additional  20,000  men  were 
provided  for,  however,  but  it  is  quite  manifest  that  these 
additional  calls  could  not  be  continued  without  seriously 
interfering  with  the  original  plan. 


188        THE  QUAKTEKMASTEK  COKPS 

On  April  18,  1917,  in  reply  to  a  further  inquiry  a 
memorandum  by  the  Quartermaster  General  for  the 
Chief  of  Staff  stated : 

"1.  Attention  is  invited  to  the  remarks  contained  in 
memorandum  from  the  Quartermaster  General,  under 
date  of  April  16,  having  reference  to  equipping  Na- 
tional Guard  Coast  Artillery. 

"2.  As  stated  in  the  memorandum  referred  to,  it 
will  not  be  practicable  to  properly  clothe  and  equip 
within  the  time  previously  allotted  this  or  any  other 
number  of  men  more  than  that  which  was  provided  for 
in  the  original  plan."     (S.  478.) 

The  Adjutant  General,  by  direction  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Quarter- 
master General  on  April  18,  1917: — 

"It  is  desired  that  you  furnish  this  office  at  the  earli- 
est practicable  date  the  following  information : 

"(a)  Is  the  Quartermaster  Corps  able  to  clothe, 
supply  and  maintain  all  organizations  of  the  Regular 
Army  and  National  Guard  now  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States  at  minimum  strength  ? 

"(b)  How  many  men  in  addition  can  it  clothe, 
equip  and  maintain  from  the  following  dates  ? 

"April  20,  1917;  May  20,  1917;  June  20,  1917; 
July  20,  1917;  Aug.  20,  1917;  Sept.  20,  1917;  Nov. 
20,  1917;  Dec.  20,  1917." 

To  which  the  following  reply  was  made  on  April  19, 
1917;  by  the  Quartermaster  General: 


u 

can 


1.     With  reference  to  paragraph   (a)  the  question 
be  answered  in  the  affirmative. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  189 

"2.  With  reference  to  paragraph  (b)  the  question 
would  depend  on  where  the  men  are  to  be  mobilized  for 
which  the  supplies  are  required. 

"3.  During  the  month  of  March  orders  were  placed 
for  the  delivery  of  clothing  and  equipage  up  to  July 
31st,  in  sufficient  quantities,  except  tentage,  to  equip  an 
army  of  500,000  men,  including  the  National  Guard 
and  Regulars  now  in  the  service.  These  supplies  are 
coming  in  daily  and  the  Regular  Army  and  National 
Guard  so  far  called  have  been  taken  care  of  and  are 
provided  for,  and  sufficient  supplies  will  be  coming  in 
to  take  care  of  25,000  additional  men  in  April,  50,000 
in  May,  75,000  in  June  and  100,000  in  July,  but  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  supplies  are  being 
received  from  various  factories  scattered  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Pacific  coast,  the  bulk  coming  from  the 
Eastern  States. 

"4.  Early  in  April,  orders  were  placed  for  clothing 
and  equipage  for  an  additional  500,000  men  for  de- 
livery up  to  December  31st,  and  assuming  that  the  first 
500,000  men  are  equipped  by  the  end  of  July,  the  De- 
partment will  be  able  to  clothe  and  equip  100,000  men 
monthly  thereafter,  with  the  exception  of  tentage. 

"5.  Much  time  will  be  consumed,  even  after  the 
supplies  are  delivered  in  transporting  them  to  the  places 
where  the  troops  will  require  them ;  especially  is  this 
true  if  they  are  mobilized  at  points  distant  from  the 
factories.  Attention  is  invited  to  the  fact  that  to  take 
care  of  a  gTeat  number  of  troops  at  once,  the  demands 
on  depots  should  be  divided  among  the  various  supply 
depots  which  are  now  being  stocked  up  to  take  care  of 
certain  territorial  limits." 

At  the  time  the  above  report  was  made  no  decision 
had  been  arrived  at  as  to  the  location  of  the  mobiliza- 


190        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

tion  points ;  the  decision  to  put  the  men  in  cantonments 
was  not  reached  until  some  time  in  May,  1917,  and  then 
the  sites  had  to  be  selected.  Information  as  to  their 
location  was  to  be  furnished  on  June  10th,  but  at  that 
date  several  had  not  yet  been  determined.  The  loca- 
tion of  the  cantonments  had  to  be  decided  before  ar- 
rangements to  organize  the  depots  to  supply  them  could 
be  arranged. 

The  information  as  to  the  number  of  men  which  could 
be  clothed  and  equipped  by  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and 
the  time  required  to  accomplish  it  was  furnished  upon 
memorandum  from  the  Chief  of  Staff  and  to  the  Adju- 
tant General.  This  is  mentioned  to  indicate  that  all 
the  sources  from  which  orders  might  possibly  be  origi- 
nated had  been  fully  appraised  concerning  these  matters. 
It  was  generally  understood  early  in  May,  1917,  that 
decision  to  make  an  early  call  of  the  drafted  men  had 
been  made  in  order  to  begin  their  training.  On  May 
19,  1917,  the  Cantonment  Division  of  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General  was  established  by  direction  of 
the  Secretary  of  War  in  order  to  insure  the  completion 
of  the  cantonments  by  September  1st.  The  information 
called  for  by  the  Adjutant  General,  by  direction  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,  on  April  18,  1917,  above  referred 
to,  was  communicated  on  April  18,  1917,  confidentially 
to  the  Western  Department,  thus  showing  that  the 
capability  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  to  meet  the  situa- 
tion was  fully  recognized.  In  view  of  all  these  facts, 
the  Adjutant  General  on  May  22,  1917,  sent  the  fol- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  191 

lowing  communication  to  all  Department  commanders 
in  the  United  States : 

"Subject:  Program  for  organizing  the  Regular  Army, 
National  Guard  and  National  Army. 

"1.  There  is  enclosed  herewith  for  your  informa- 
tion a  copy  of  an  approved  program  for  organizing  the 
Regular  Army,  National  Guard  and  National  Army. 

"2.  The  Chief  of  each  Supply  Bureau  will  be  in- 
structed to  take  prompt  steps  to  meet  the  demands  upon 
his  Department  in  carrying  out  this  program  so  that 
there  will  be  no  chance  of  failure  in  providing  the 
absolute  essentials,  namely,  food,  water,  clothing, 
shelter,  blankets  and  bedding  of  some  sort  (regulation 
if  practicable)  and  a  rifle  for  each  man;  other  equip- 
ment and  supplies  to  be  furnished  as  rapidly  as  the 
resources  for  the  Nation  permit. 

"3.  The  Quartermaster  General  will  be  directed  to 
issue  at  once  to  recruits  at  depots  all  available  shoes  of 
obsolete  pattern  and  khaki  uniforms,  the  latter  at  one- 
third  of  cost  prices." 

(Note. — The  lehaki  uniform  referred  to  was  the  old 
uniform  which  was  abandoned  several  years  before 
when  the  new  uniform  of  olive  drab  color,  generally 
known  as  the  "0.  D."  was  adopted.  A  large  stock  of 
this  khaki  uniform  was  on  hand  when  the  new  uniform 
was  adopted  in  its  place.  Effort  was  made,  unsuc- 
cessfully, to  utilize  it  in  various  ways  and  quantities  of 
it  had  been  sold  at  public  auction ;  the  latter  action 
having  been  severely  criticized  in  Congress  and  the 
War  Department  characterized  as  extravagant  in  its 
many  changes  in  uniform  and  equipment  which  ren- 
dered the  old  patterns  obsolete.     This  was  possibly  one 


192        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

of  the  cogent  reasons  which  influenced  Congress  in  de- 
clining to  make  appropriations  to  provide  for  a  reserve 
stock  of  cloth  and  uniforms.  It  is  necessary  to  mention 
this  as  commonly  the  term  khaki  was  applied  to  the  new 
olive  drab  uniforms  ("O.  D.").  The  term  khaki  in  the 
order  refers  to  the  obsolete  and  abandoned  uniforms.) 

Continuing  the  communication  of  May  22nd  read : 

"4.  Non-essentials  should  not  be  permitted  to  delay 
the  prime  necessity  of  putting  a  large  army  into  train- 
ing while  the  weather  is  suitable  for  outdoor  work, 
drills  and  target  practice.  Even  the  lack  of  uniforms 
for  a  week  or  two  should  not  delay  organization.  After 
organization  of  the  forces  has  been  completed,  discipline 
established  and  physical  training  assured,  technical 
training  will  go  forward  rapidly  as  the  necessary  equip- 
ment is  supplied. 

By  Order  of  the  Secretary  of  War." 

]STo  further  instructions  about  the  steps  to  be  taken 
to  meet  the  demands  upon  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
were  received.  From  paragraph  4  of  this  communica- 
tion the  idea  of  drilling  the  men  in  their  civilian  clothes, 
as  has  previously  been  shown  had  been  the  English  prac- 
tice, is  evident;  but  this  purpose  was  practically  made 
impossible  by  the  instructions  sent  to  the  draft  men, 
from  the  Provost  Marshal  General's  Office,  to  take  only 
a  very  limited  supply  of  civilian  clothes  to  the  camps; 
as  it  was  stated  the  men  would  be  obliged  to  send  such 
clothes  to  their  homes  upon  joining  the  camps.  The 
Quartermaster  General's  Office  was  not  informed  of 
these  instructions,  and  they  were  not  known  of  until 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  193 

months  later  when  a  copy  of  an  order  to  drafted  men 
was  seen  in  a  small  local  paper. 

On  January  28,  1918,  the  Secretary  of  War  before 
the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Senate  replied 
to  the  question : 

"Was  there,  Mr.  Secretary,  an  order  or  a  warning,  or 
suggestion  sent  out  to  troops  coming  to  camp  that  they 
should  bring  but  little  clothing  with  them  ?" 

To  which  the  Secretary  replied : 

"I  think  there  was,  Senator,  a  suggestion  sent  out 
that  they  bring  very  little  clothing,  and  when  they  got 
there  they  were  directed  to  go  into  uniform  and  send 
their  private  clothing  home."     (S.  1,959.) 

In  October,  anticipating  a  temporary  shortage  of 
winter  underwear  because  of  the  failure  to  obtain  the 
supply  through  the  Committee  on  Supplies  as  previous- 
ly shown,  request  was  made  upon  the  Provost  Marshal 
General  that  instructions  be  sent  the  drafted  men  to  take 
sufficient  clothing,  and  at  least  two  suits  of  winter  under- 
dosing to  the  camps.  No  information  as  to  the  action 
taken  on  this  request  was  received  at  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General. 

The  enclosure  referred  to  in  the  above  communica- 
tion of  May  22,  1917,  was  in  part,  as  follows: 

"Subject:  Policy  of  the  War  Department  relative 
to  increasing  the  Regular  Army,  calling 
the  National  Guard  into  Federal  Service, 
and  calling  out  500,000  men  for  the  Na- 
tional Army. 


194       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

"1.  Regular  Army.  The  Regular  Army  will  be  in- 
creased by  the  addition  of  four  remaining  increments 
and  raised  to  maximum  (war)  strength  during  the 
months  of  May  and  June. 

"  July  15 :  Draft  in  Federal  Service  one-third  of  the 
National  Guard  not  already  in  service; 

" July  25  :  Draft  into  Federal  Service  the  second  one- 
third  of  the  National  Guard; 

"August  5 :  Draft  into  Federal  Service  the  remain- 
ing one-third  of  the  National  Guard." 

"National  Guard  organizations  will  be  assembled  in 
three  groups  and  sent  to  Departments  as  indicated  be- 
low, on  the  dates  given: 

August  1,  1917 

August  15,  1917 

September  1,  1917 

"All  units  of  the  National  Guard  not  now  in  the 
Federal  Service  and  all  that  are  in  the  Federal  Service 
will  be  recruited  to  maximum  strength  at  once,  and  the 
needed  arms,  equipment  and  clothing  for  full  strength 
will  be  issued  as  soon  as  practicable." 

"All  coast  artillery  organizations  of  the  National 
Guard  will  be  drafted  into  the  service  on  the  earliest 
date,  namely,  about  July  15th  with  the  first  group." 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  foregoing  instructions 
concerning  the  National  Guard  Coast  Artillery  entirely 
disregard  the  information  given  by  the  Quartermaster 
General's  Office  as  to  the  possibility  of  clothing  and 
equipping  those  troops  and  are  at  variance  with  the 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  195 

statement  made  by  the  Adjutant  General  to  the  Com- 
manding General,  Western  Department  in  letter  of 
April  27,  1917,  which  stated:  "I  am  directed  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  to  inform  you  confidentially  that 
these  National  Guard  troops  cannot  be  called  out  at 
the  present  time  unless  immediate  requirements  make  it 
necessary,  in  view  of  the  following  conditions  as  re- 
ported by  the  Quartermaster  General."  Then  follow 
the  statement  of  conditions  made  on  iVpril  19,  1917.  It 
will  be  noted  that  no  report  as  to  the  amelioration  of 
those  conditions  had  been  made  by  the  Quartermaster 
General  in  the  time  intervening  between  April  19th  and 
May  22,  1917,  the  date  on  which  this  order  was  made. 
Consequently  the  order  was  made  in  disregard  of  the 
conditions  as  reported. 

The  enclosure  to  the  communication  of  the  Adjutant 
General  of  May  22,  1917,  continues  as  follows: 

"3.  The  National  Army.  The  first  500,000  men  of 
the  National  forces  will  be  called  to  the  colors  Sep- 
tember 1,  1917,  and  put  under  training  at  once  in  their 
division  cantonments.  This  force  will  be  supplied  with 
woolen  uniforms,  which  will  be  available  in  sufficient 
quantities." 

A  table  entitled  "Program  for  Organizing  the  Regu- 
lar Army,  National  Guard  and  National  Army"  ac- 
companying the  foregoing  shows  as  follows : 

1.  That  the  regular  Army  was  to  be  raised  during 
May  and  June  at  designated  Army  posts  and  provided 
with  cotton  uniforms  (including  all  available  stock  of 


196        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

khaki)    and  woolen  uniforms  were  to  be  supplied  by 
Nov.  1,  1917. 

2.  The  National  Guard  was  to  be  raised  July  15th 
to  August  5th  and  after  15  days  to  go  to  division  can- 
tonments in  the  South;  they  were  to  be  supplied  with 
cotton  uniforms  and  with  woolen  uniforms  by  Novem- 
ber 1,  1917. 

3.  The  National  Army  was  to  be  raised  September 
I,  1917,  at  its  divisional  cantonments  and  were  to  be 
equipped  with  Enfield  and  Krag  rifles  (Krag  rifles  to 
be  used  only  until  they  can  be  replaced),  blanket  rolls 
and  haversacks  (to  be  replaced  by  1910  equipment  as 
soon  as  practicable),  horse  equipment  and  artillery  ma- 
terial after  equipping  Regular  Army  and  National 
Guard,  woolen  uniforms,  commercial  articles  will  be 
substituted  where  necessary  for  such  regulation  articles 
as  cannot  be  procured. 

At  the  end  of  this  table  was  the  following : 

"Note. — The  officers'  training  camps  will  end  August 
15,  1917.  Officers  of  each  division  then  proceed  to 
division  cantonments,  where  the  enrolled  men  report 
September  1,  1917.  Each  man  to  be  equipped  at  once 
with  uniform  and  rifle.  Other  equipment  to  be  sup- 
plied. 

"Execution  of  third  program  would  he  delayed  by 
the  diversion  of  equipment  or  supplies  to  meet  any  un- 
foreseen demands." 

The  foregoing  sentence  was  not  in  italics  in  the 
original. 

The  order  calling  the  National  Army  to  the  colors 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION"  197 

by  September  1st  disregarded  the  information,  as  to 
the  time  when  the  men  could  be  clothed  and  equipped, 
given  by  the  Quartermaster  General  on  March  13, 
March  21,  April  2,  April  16,  April  18  and  April  19, 
all  of  which  have  been  previously  quoted;  and  in  them 
it  was  constantly  stated  that  the  men  could  not  be  cloth- 
ed and  equipped  before  December  31st  with  proper  uni- 
forms and  equipment  and  that  one  hundred  thousand 
men  could  be  provided  for  each  month  after  July, 
thus  completing  the  500,000  by  December  31st,  or  by 
November  1st  at  the  earliest  by  using  articles  closely  ap- 
proximating standard  articles. 

It  will  be  observed,  however,  that  the  order  of  May 
22,  1917,  states  that  "even  the  lack  of  uniforms  for  a 
week  or  two  should  not  delay  organization."  And  the 
note  quoted  above  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  period 
might  be  prolonged  and  that  the  prime  necessity  was 
to  drill  the  men,  as  is  fully  explained  in  the  Secretary 
of  War's  statement  before  the  Committee  on  Military 
Affairs  of  the  Senate,  above  quoted. 

ADDITIONAL    TROOPS 

Sections  2  and  3  of  the  Act  of  Congress  approved 
May  18,  1917,  authorized  the  organization  of  special 
and  technical  units  in  the  Army  during  the  war.  On 
January  28,  1918,  the  Secretary  of  War  made  the  fol- 
lowing statement  to  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs 
of  the  Senate:     (S.  1,980.) 

"Early  in  this  war  when  Joffre  was  here  and  when 


198        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Balfour  was  here,  they  said  to  us,  'It  may  take  you  some 
time  to  get  over  to  us  a  great  fighting  army,  but  you 
are  a  great  industrial  country.  Our  man  power  is  fully 
engaged  in  our  industries  and  in  our  military  enter- 
prises; send  over  artisans,  special  engineering  regi- 
ments and  troops  of  a  technical  character,'  and,  although 
it  was  not  contemplated  at  the  outset,  and  only  a  phrase 
in  the  emergency  military  legislation  shows  that  the 
thing  was  thought  of  as  a  possibility,  yet  in  a  very 
short  time  we  had  organized  engineering  regiments  of 
railroad  men  and  sent  them  over  there  and  were  re- 
building behind  the  lines  of  the  British  and  French 
the  railroads  which  were  being  carried  forward  with 
their  advance,  reconstructing  their  broken  engines  and 
cars,  building  new  railroads,  both  back  of  the  French 
and  British  lines  and  those  regiments  were  of  such 
quality  that  at  the  Cambrai  assault  carried  on  by  Gen- 
eral Byng,  when  the  Germans  made  their  counter  at- 
tack, our  engineer  regiments  threw  down  their  picks 
and  spades  and  carried  their  rifles  into  the  battle  and 
distinguished  themselves  by  gallant  action  in  the  war 
itself. 

"Very  early  in  this  war  Great  Britain,  through  Bal- 
four and  his  assistants,  and  France,  through  Joffre, 
said  to  us,  'Send  us  nurses  and  doctors.'  Why,  before 
we  were  scarcely  in  the  war  American  units,  organized 
in  advance  and  anticipation  by  the  Red  Cross,  which 
was  taken  over  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
through  the  Surgeon  General's  office,  were  on  the  bat- 
tlefield, and  there  are  tens  of  thousands  of  men  in 
England  and  France  now  who  bless  the  mission  of 
mercy  upon  which  the  first  Americans  appeared  in 
France.  .  .  .  But  that  was  not  enough.  It  was  sug- 
gested that  further  groups  of  mechanics  might  be 
needed!" 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  199 

These  men,  as  stated  above,  were  not  considered  when 
the  plan  for  the  organization  of  the  Army  was  made 
and  the  Quartermaster  General  was  asked  when  the 
Army  could  be  supplied.  They  were  in  addition  and 
the  clothing  and  equipment  of  the  men  naturally  affect- 
ed the  problem  of  supply;  as  did  likewise  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  officers  training  camps,  the  students  at 
which  had  to  be  provided  with  uniforms  and  clothing; 
also  the  calling  to  the  colors  of  26,000  additional  Na- 
tional Guardsmen  in  April  in  excess  of  the  number 
which  the  Corps  stated  could  be  provided ;  and  also  the 
calling  in  June  of  the  National  Guard  from  thirteen 
states  in  addition  to  the  number  which  had  been  stated 
could  be  provided.  At  a  conference  with  the  Secretary 
of  War  and  General  Bliss  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff, 
the  Quartermaster  General  indicated  the  difficulty  this 
imposed  upon  the  Corps  and  how  it  affected  the  pos- 
sibility of  providing  the  supplies  required  for  the  Na- 
tional Army  by  September  1st.  The  Acting  Chief  of 
Staff  stated  his  inability  to  see  how  that  problem  was 
affected  by  calling  to  the  colors  the  additional  men. 

After  the  above  conference  the  following  memoran- 
dum was  sent  to  the  Chief  of  the  Supplies  Division  Of- 
fice Quartermaster  General : 

July  15,  1917. 
"In  view  of  the  large  number  of  technical  troops 
which  have  been  called  into  the  service,  also  the  large 
number  of  medical  officers  who  have  bought  clothing 
and  the  number  of  students  at  the  camps  which  we  have 
supplied,   and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  National 


200       THE  QUAKTEKMASTER  CORPS 

Guard  is  to  be  mustered  into  the  service  on  the  5th  of 
August,  will  there  be  sufficient  supplies  on  hand  on 
September  1st  to  equip  the  National  Army  ?" 

To  which  reply  was  made  on  July  18th,  enclosing  a 
"Statement  showing  the  Status  of  the  Principal  Articles 
of  Clothing"  and  closing  with  the  following  sentence: 

"If  the  National  Army  is  called  out  September  1st,  a 
portion  of  the  force  will  have  to  remain  in  citizens' 
clothes.  It  is  therefore  recommended  that  the  as- 
sembling of  the  National  Army  be  postponed  until 
October  1st." 

This  was  approved  by  the  Quartermaster  General  and 
forwarded  to  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff  on  July  19, 
1917.  On  July  20th  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff  directed 
the  Quartermaster  General  to  report  the  designation 
and  number  of  enlisted  men  comprised  in  any  special 
units  that  had  been  raised  and  uniformed  for  the  Army 
and  that  were  not  counted  by  him  at  the  time  that  he 
estimated  that  clothing  would  be  on  hand  for  the  first 
500,000  drafted  men  by  September  1,  1917. 

It  will  be  noted  from  estimates  furnished  by  the 
Quartermaster  General  and  given  above  verbatim  that 
that  officer  had  never  stated  that  clothing  would  be  on 
hand  for  the  first  500,000  drafted  men  by  September 
1,  1917.  The  time  stated  by  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral was  always  December  31,  1917;  and  further  it 
will  be  noted  from  the  Secretary  of  War's  statement 
that  these  special  or  technical  troops  had  not  been  con- 
sidered. The  Quartermaster  General  on  July  21, 
1917,  sent  the  following  memorandum  in  reply: 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  201 

"1.  Referring  to  memorandum  dated  July  20th, 
there  is  submitted  the  following  list  showing  the  en- 
listed men  comprising  the  special  units  that  have  been 
raised  and  uniformed  that  were  not  originally  estimated 
for :  i.  e. — 

Training  camps   40,000 

Nine  railway  regiments,  engineers 10,000 

One  forestry  regiment,  engineers 1,167 

Six  months'  reserve  for  10  engineer  regiments 11,670 

Aviation   schools    1,460 

Five  telegraph  battalions,  E.  R.  C 1,045 

Thirteen  base  hospitals 1,796 

Ambulance    corps    4,000 

Field  hospitals  and  ambulance  companies   (64  each  about 

60%   complete)     11,700 

Ordnance,  E.   R.   C 333 

Quartermaster  E.  R.  C 2,500 

Six  months'  reserve  for  first  and  second  convoys 25,000 

Six  months'  reserve  for  marines 3,800 

Total     114,471 

"2.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  it  has  been  neces- 
sary to  provide  a  considerable  quantity  of  clothing  for 
the  equipment  of  reserve  officers,  especially  those  or- 
dered for  duty  with  troops  abroad. 

"3.  Attention  in  this  connection  is  invited  to  state- 
ment made  verbally  in  an  interview  with  General  Bliss, 
General  Smith  and  the  undersigned  on  April  2,  1917, 
wherein  it  was  stated  that:  'Considering  the  stock  on 
hand  and  orders  so  far  placed,  the  equipment  of  the 
first  500,000  men  (Regular  Army  and  National  Guard) 
could  be  completed  by  July  31,  and  that  if  orders  were 
placed  at  once  for  supplies  for  an  additional  500,000 
men,  they  could  be  equipped  within  five  months  from 
that  date.' 

"4.  On  April  16,  1917,  in  a  memorandum  of  the 
General  Staff  it  was  stated : 

'It  will  not  be  practicable  to  properly   clothe  and  equip 


202        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

within  the  time  previously  allotted,  this  or  any  other  number 
of  men  more  than  that  provided  for  in  the  original  plan.' 

"5.  In  an  indorsement  of  the  Adjutant  General, 
dated  April  19,  1917,  the  following  statement  was 
made: 

'Early  in  April,  orders  were  placed  for  clothing  and  equipage 
for  an  additional  500,000  men  for  delivery  up  to  December  31, 
and  assuming  that  the  first  500,000  men  are  equipped  by  the 
end  of  July,  the  Department  will  be  able  to  clothe  and  equip 
100,000  men  monthly  thereafter,  with  the  exception  of  tentage.' 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General. 

It  should  be  added  that  26,000  students  were 
equipped  in  the  second  training  camps,  so  that  the  total 
of  the  additional  men  was  140,471. 

The  statements  made  in  paragraphs  3,  4  and  5  of  the 
above  memorandum  were  to  correct  the  erroneous  im- 
pression of  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff  as  to  the  date 
which  the  Quartermaster  General  stated  the  troops 
could  be  clothed. 

The  Quartermaster  Corps  was  informed  that  the  men 
would  be  called  in  September  as  already  provided  for  in 
the  orders,  and  the  call  would  not  be  postponed  until 
October  1st  as  recommended  by  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral on  July  19,  1917. 

Information  was  received  to  the  effect  that  the  first 
call  for  drafted  men  would  be  made  for  687,000  men 
instead  of  500,000  stated  by  the  Adjutant  General  in 
the  orders  of  May  22,  1917,  issued  by  direction  of  the 
Secretary  of  War.  The  original  order  calling  the  men 
having  stated  that  they  would  be  drilled  for  a  week  or 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  203 

two  in  civilian  clothes,  and  the  note  to  that  order  stat- 
ing in  effect  that  that  time  might  be  prolonged ;  and  the 
Quartermaster  General  on  July  19th,  having  stated  that 
if  called  by  September  1st  a  portion  of  the  force  would 
have  to  remain  in  civilian  clothing,  and  as  this  was  in 
accord  with  the  statement  of  the  Secretary  of  War  of 
the  necessity  of  putting  the  men  in  camp  so  as  to  train 
them,  it  is  clear  that  such  was  the  understanding. 

It  had  been  stated  that  the  687,000  men  would  all 
be  called  in  September  and  effort  was  made  to  have  the 
call  divided,  so  that  the  men  would  not  all  arrive  at 
the  cantonments  at  the  same  time,  because  of  the  impos- 
sibility of  supplying  such  a  large  number  of  new  men 
at  one  time.  At  a  conference  with  the  Acting  Chief  of 
Staff  and  a  member  of  the  Equipment  Committee  of 
the  War  College  Division  of  the  General  Staff,  the  sug- 
gestion to  call  187,000  men  September  1st;  100,000 
September  15th  ;  175,000  on  October  15th;  and  225,000 
on  November  15th  was  concurred  in  by  the  Quartermas- 
ter General  for  the  above  reasons. 

It  was  found,  however,  that  the  movements  as  above 
suggested  would  conflict  with  those  of  the  National 
Guard  to  their  cantonments,  and  also  with  the  move- 
ments of  troops  to  the  Ports  of  Embarkation.  This  was 
stated  to  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff,  and  the  representa- 
tive in  the  Quartermaster  General's  Office  of  the  Ameri- 
can Railway  Association  entertaining  the  same  views, 
a  conference  was  arranged  with  a  Committee  of  the 
General  Staff,  a  representative  of  the  War  College,  one 
from  the  American  Railway  Association  and  one  from 


204        THE  QUAKTEKMASTEK  COEPS 

the  Transportation  Division  Office  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral. The  following  proposition  was  submitted  in  order 
to  coordinate  the  movements  and  was  approved :  Five 
per  cent,  of  the  National  Army  to  move,  beginning 
September  5th,  and  moving  one  per  cent,  each  day  for  5 
days ;  forty  per  cent,  of  the  National  Army  to  move,  be- 
ginning September  19th,  and  to  be  completed  as  rapidly 
as  possible;  forty  per  cent,  of  the  National  Army  to 
move,  beginning  October  3rd,  and  to  be  completed  as 
rapidly  as  possible;  fifteen  per  cent,  of  the  National 
Army  remainder,  beginning  October  17th  and  to  be 
completed  as  rapidly  as  possible.  This  plan  was  later 
modified  so  that  the  men  were  moved  as  follows :  Sep- 
tember 5th,  32,564;  September  19th,  274,181;  October 
3rd,  172,094;  October  27th,  24,594;  November  2nd, 
24,389  ;  November  19th,  12,641 ;  December  5th,  2,405  ; 
and  the  remainder  144,132  were  not  moved  until  Feb- 
ruary 15th,  1918,  due  to  shortages  of  uniform  clothing 
caused  by  sending  troops  to  France,  and  by  ordering  the 
men  to  the  camps  in  advance  of  the  time,  December  31, 
1917,  by  which  it  had  repeatedly  been  stated  that  they 
could  be  supplied.  A  delay  of  over  two  months  and  a 
half  was  necessary  in  order  to  accumulate  the  clothing 
to  equip  the  balance  of  the  draft ;  thus  indicating  the 
correctness  of  the  recommendations  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  to  delay  the  calling  of  the  drafted  men. 
By  December  5,  1917,  there  were  542,868  men  in 
the  camps,  and  the  original  plan  was  to  provide  for 
500,000  men  by  December  31,  1917.  As  most  posi- 
tive orders  prohibited  the  giving  of  information  regard- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  205 

ing  the  number  of  men  in  the  camps,  tbese  figures  could 
not  be  stated  at  the  investigation  conducted  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Senate. 

When  the  plan  for  raising  the  Army  was  under 
discussion  in  April,  1917  there  was  no  intention  of 
sending  troops  to  France  until  early  in  1918.  It  was 
generally  understood  that  the  first  part  this  country 
was  to  play  in  the  war  was  to  provide  money  and  sup- 
plies for  the  allies,  and  there  was  deep  mortification  that 
so  humiliating  a  role  had  been  assigned  the  country  as 
its  part  in  the  world's  drama.  The  year  1917  was  to 
be  devoted  to  organizing,  eqipping  and  training  the 
troops  and  the  memorandum  of  the  War  College  Divis- 
ion of  the  General  Staff,  approved  September  11,  1917, 
previously  referred,  provided  for  thirty  divisions  in 
France  in  1918  and  sixty  divisions  in  1919,  indicating 
that  our  supreme  effort  was  to  be  made  in  that  year. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  in  this  country  of  Marshal 
Joffre  in  May,  1917,  decision  was  made  to  send  a  divi- 
sion of  the  Regular  Army  to  France  for  the  inspiration 
and  encouragement  its  presence  there  would  impart  to 
the  allied  peoples  and  their  armies ;  and  soon  the  stir- 
ring notes  and  the  encouraging  words  that  "The  Boys 
are  Coming"  were  resounding  "everywhere." 

A  division  of  Regular  troops  was  organized  and  dis- 
patched and  arrived  in  France  on  June  26,  1917.  The 
orders  for  the  shipment  of  troops  to  France  required 
that  each  man  should  have  in  his  possession  two  com- 
plete suits  of  woolen  uniforms,  one  overcoat,  three  suits 
of  woolen  underwear,  five  pairs  heavy  wool  socks,  and 


206        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

two  pairs  of  shoes;  it  was  also  provided  that  a  six 
months'  reserve  of  clothing  and  equipment  should  be 
forwarded  with  the  troops.  Shortly  after  the  dispatch 
of  the  first  division,  information  was  given  of  the  inten- 
tion to  dispatch  a  second  division  composed  of  Regular 
Army  and  Marine  Corps  troops.  This  division  was 
similarly  supplied  with  clothing  and  its  six  months' 
reserve  also  forwarded.  That  division  arrived  in 
France  in  August,  1917.  Shipments  of  the  woolen  uni- 
forms abroad  reduced  the  number  which  were  expected 
to  be  available  later  for  issue  to  troops  called  to  the 
colors  in  this  country,  and  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff 
gave  instructions  on  August  1,  1917,  that  cotton  uni- 
forms would  be  worn  so  far  as  possible  until  November 
1st  by  troops  in  the  United  States. 

The  Chief  of  Staff  returned  from  the  Mission  to  Rus- 
sia about  the  middle  of  August,  1917.  Some  few  days 
thereafter  the  Assistant  Chief  of  Staff  came  to  the  of- 
fice of  the  Quartermaster  General  and  inquired  con- 
cerning the  supply  of  uniform  clothing,  to  ascertain  if 
it  was  adequate  to  meet  the  schedule  for  shipping  troops 
abroad.  The  Quartermaster  General  inquired  if  a 
schedule  had  been  adopted  and,  upon  being  informed 
that  one  had  been  adopted,  remarked  that  it  would  seem 
proper  to  first  ascertain  if  the  Supply  Departments  were 
able  to  provide  the  necessary  supplies  to  meet  it.  As 
a  result  of  this  information,  the  following  memorandum 
was  sent  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  on  August  31,  1917 : 

"1.  It  is  requested  that  this  office  be  informed 
whether  or  not  it  is  desired  that  sufficient  quantity  of 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  207 

woolen  uniforms  and  underwear  be  reserved  each 
month  to  equip  a  certain  number  of  troops  for  over- 
seas duty,  or  whether  these  articles  should  be  issued  as 
required  to  the  National  Army  and  other  troops  located 
in  the  northern  posts. 

"2.  An  early  decision  is  requested  as  the  issue  of 
woolen  clothing  to  the  National  Army  is  being  held 
up  pending  a  decision." 

HENKY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  503.) 

Information  was  given  that  the  shipment  of  troops 
abroad  would  be  continued  and  supplied  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  first  two  divisions  had  been.  Troops  sent 
abroad  should  undoubtedly  be  given  precedence  in  mat- 
ters of  supply,  for  when  necessary  the  call  for  troops 
in  this  country  could  easily  be  deferred.  Upon  insist- 
ence that  information  of  any  contemplated  movement  of 
troops  abroad  should  be  communicated  to  the  Quarter- 
master General  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  it  was 
finally  agreed  that  the  information  would  be  communi- 
cated to  him  personally  and  verbally  by  a  designated 
officer  of  the  General  Staff.  Captain  J.  P.  Aleshire  on 
duty  in  the  office  was  designated  to  receive  the  informa- 
tion as  to  the  dispatch  of  troops  abroad  and  to  com- 
municate it  to  such  Chiefs  of  Divisions  and  Branches 
of  the  Office  as  would  have  to  be  informed  in  order  to 
arrange  for  the  supplies. 

The  orders  requiring  that  the  men  sent  abroad  should 
be  equipped  with  two  suits  of  woolen  uniforms  and  the 
other  clothing  and  equipment  before  mentioned,  fre- 
quent applications  were  received  by  the  Quartermasters 


208        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

to  obtain  the  necessary  supplies  for  various  organiza- 
tions and,  in  consequence,  the  following  memorandum 
was  sent  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  on  September  11,  1917: 
(S.  505.) 

"It  is  recommended  that  a  Board  be  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  determining"  priority  in  the  equipment  of 
troops  for  overseas  duty.  The  Assistant  Chief  of  Staff 
recently  furnished  this  office  confidential  information  as 
to  the  number  of  troops  that  would  have  to  be  equipped 
each  month  for  the  next  three  months.  Already  for  the 
month  of  September  a  larger  number  of  troops  have 
been  fitted  out  than  we  understood  were  to  go.  Not- 
withstanding this  fact  there  is  scarcely  a  day  that 
requisition  or  request  has  not  come  in  for  the  outfitting 
of  some  organization  or  technical  troops  for  overseas 
duty  not  previously  contemplated." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Quartermaster  General. 

Knowing  the  necessity  of  technical  troops  in  France, 
in  order  to  assist  in  the  preparations  for  all  the  arrange- 
ments to  be  made  there,  it  was  quite  natural  that  the 
Bureau  Chiefs  charged  with  the  execution  of  these  plans 
should  exert  themselves  to  secure  the  prompt  expedition 
of  such  troops,  but  if  more  troops  were  equipped  than 
could  be  shipped  to  France  at  a  given  time,  as  happened, 
it  caused  a  still  further  reduction  of  the  available  sup- 
ply of  woolen  uniforms  and  clothing. 

Requisitions  were  received  from  France  in  the  early 
part  of  September,  evidently  based  on  General  Per- 
shing's project  of  July  11,  1917,  information  concern- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  209 

ing  which  had  never  been  received  at  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General.  These  requisitions  called  for 
very  large  quantities  of  supplies,  and  the  matter  was 
referred  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  in  a  memorandum  dated 
September  8,  1917,  as  follows: 

"1.  Transmitted  herewith  are  extracts  of  cable- 
grams from  General  Pershing  calling  for  initial  and 
monthly  shipments  of  clothing  for  each  25,000  men.  A 
table  prepared  in  this  office  (omitted  here)  is  also 
submitted  herewith  showing  a  comparison  between  the 
quantities  called  for  by  General  Pershing  and  the  quan- 
tities previously  shipped  as  six  months'  reserve  for  the 
first  expedition  of  approximately  25,000  men.  An  ex- 
amination of  this  table  shows  that  enormous  quantities 
are  being  called  for,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  this  office, 
will  be  required,  due  to  the  nature  of  the  service  the 
troops  will  perform. 

"2.  Attention  is  invited  to  the  next  to  the  last 
sentence  of  sub-paragraph  2  (omitted)  wherein  General 
Pershing  asks  that  the  clothing  listed  in  paragraph 
2,752,  Quartermaster  Corps  Manual,  be  shipped 
monthly  for  each  25,000  men.  The  paragraph  quoted 
shows  what  is  a  proper  four  months'  allowance  for  ap- 
proximately 25,000  men.  This  table  is  based  on  actual 
issues  on  the  Mexican  border.  General  Pershing's  call 
for  this  same  quantity  each  month  is  practically  four 
times  as  large.  If  the  supplies  called  for  are  furnished, 
it  will  seriously  interfere  with  the  supply  of  wool  cloth- 
ing to  troops  in  this  country,  who  also  need  this 
clothing. 

"3.  The  estimates  for  the  present  year,  when  sub- 
mitted, were  thought  to  be  made  on  a  very  liberal  basis 
and  would  have  provided  a  reserve  of  clothing  for  nearly 


210        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

nine  months,  with  the  upkeep  figured  in  accordance 
with  our  past  experience;  but  from  this  cablegram  of 
General  Pershing's  it  is  very  evident  that  the  estimate 
will  have  to  be  very  largely  increased  over  the  amount 
which  was  thought  necessary  at  the  time  the  estimates 
were  submitted. 

"4.  Instructions  of  the  Chief  of  Staff  are  requested 
as  to  whether  these  supplies  shall  be  furnished  in  the 
quantities  called  for." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  503.) 

Under  date  of  September  18,  1917,  the  following 
reply  was  received  from  the  Adjutant  General: 

"To  the  Quartermaster  General : 
"With  the  information  that 

"1.  The  Secretary  of  War  approves  the  request  for 
clothing  contained  in  cablegram  from  the  Commanding 
General  of  the  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France,  No. 
136  (W.  C.  D.  9,265-36),  paragraph  8,  sub-paragraphs 
2  and  3,  and  directs  that  shipment  be  made  in  accord- 
ance therewith  as  soon  as  this  can  be  done  without  de- 
priving troops  in  this  country  of  necessary  clothing. 

"2.  Until  that  time  six  months'  reserve  of  clothing 
will  be  shipped  with  each  expedition  as  in  the  past,  in 
accordance  with  the  enclosed  table  (omitted)  prepared 
in  your  office. 

"3.  The  subject  of  monthly  replacements  to  France 
has  been  taken  up  with  the  Commanding  General  of 
the  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France  by  cablegram 
(copy  enclosed  for  your  information).     (Omitted.) 

"4.  You  will  arrange  at  once  to  procure  the  ad- 
ditional clothing  on  the  basis  requested  by  the  Com- 
manding General  of  the  Expeditionary  Forces  in 
France. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  211 

"The  attached  table,  prepared  by  the  War  College 
Division  of  the  General  Staff,  is  self-explanatory.  Col- 
umn 8  represents  the  approximate  total  requirements — 
initial  issue  (column  5)  not  included — based  on  present 
projects  for  one  year. 

"5.  A  copy  of  this  indorsement  and  enclosures  has 
been  furnished  the  Council  of  National  Defense. 

"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War: 

Adjutant  General." 

The  depletion  of  the  stock  of  woolen  clothing  caused 
by  the  continued  shipment  of  the  troops  and  supplies 
abroad,  a  memorandum  was  sent  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  on 
October  9th,  1917,  as  follows: 

"Attention  is  invited  to  the  accompanying  table 
(omitted)  prepared  by  the  Supplies  Division,  showing 
the  supplies  available  on  the  first  day  of  each  month 
after  deducting  the  upkeep  and  stores  shipped  abroad. 

"In  this  connection,  it  is  desired  to  state  that  this 
Department  in  April  was  given  instructions  to  prepare 
for  1,078,000  men.  The  Department  stated  that  it 
would  be  able  to  equip  the  men  sufficiently  to  drill  them 
by  the  30th  of  September,  but  the  camps  were  opened 
on  the  1st  of  September. 

"At  that  time  there  was  no  intention  of  shipping 
troops  abroad  this  year.  Schedules  for  shipment  of 
troops  have  been  prepared  and  this  department  has  not 
been  consulted  as  to  whether  the  supplies  are  on  hand 
to  meet  that  schedule. 

"The  accompanying  statement  indicates  that  one  of 
two  things  must  be  done;  first,  that  shipment  of  troops 
abroad  must  be  discontinued ;  or,  second,  that  the  calling 
of  the  remainder  of  the  draft  will  have  to  be  deferred 
for  at  least  six  weeks. 


212        THE  QUAKTERMASTEK  CORPS 

"This  Department  has  shipped  with  all  the  troops 
going  abroad  six  months'  reserve  supply  of  clothing.  A 
recent  cablegram  from  General  Pershing  indicated  that 
they  have  practically  no  supplies  on  hand.  This  is  un- 
doubtedly due  to  the  increased  requirements  owing  to 
the  arduous  training  the  men  are  receiving.  General 
Pershing's  call  for  stores  are  in  quantities  which  in  the 
ordinary  basis  of  our  calculations  would  amount  to  a 
four  years'  supply  in  one,  and,  furthermore,  the  char- 
acter of  the  clothing  is  all  wool. 

"It  is  requested  that  this  office  be  informed  as  to 
what  is  done  about  the  discontinuance  of  shipping  of 
troops  abroad  or  the  postponement  of  the  calling  of  the 
drafted  men." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  509.) 

Receiving  no  reply  to  the  above  request  for  decision 
in  a  most  important  matter,  a  memorandum  was  sent 
to  the  Chief  of  Staff  on  October  13,  1917,  as  follows: 

"Referring  to  my  memorandum  of  October  9th,  trans- 
mitting a  table  prepared  by  the  Supplies  Division  show- 
ing the  supplies  available  on  the  first  of  each  month 
after  deducting  the  upkeep  and  the  stores  shipped 
abroad,  I  am  attaching  hereto  an  additional  table  show- 
ing the  available  balances  of  clothing  on  December  1st. 

"Prompt  decision  on  my  previous  memorandum  is 
urged." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  509-10.) 

"P.  S. — Copy  of  memorandum  of  October  9  attached 
for  ready  reference." 

A  cablegram  was  received  from  General  Pershing 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION"  213 

giving  the  clothing  on  hand  on  October  1st,  and  stating 
that  the  clothing  situation  was  critical;  this  undoubt- 
edly due  to  the  inability  of  filling  his  requisitions  of 
September,  above  referred  to;  memorandum  was  sent 
to  the  Chief  of  Staff  on  October  18,  1917,  stating  in 
part  as  follows: 

"1.  .  .  .  Attention  is  invited  to  memorandum  of 
this  office  of  August  25,  1917  (Q.  M.  G.  O.  111.03-C.E. 
Genl.  1918),  in  which  it  was  shown  that  the  shortage  of 
clothing  was  due  to  three  causes,  as  follows : 

"First :  That  arrangements  were  made  to  call  the 
National  Army  before  the  date  this  Department  stated 
they  could  equip  them. 

"Second :  That  shipment  of  troops  abroad  was  made 
a  year  before  it  was  the  intention  to  begin  such  ship- 
ments, when  the  problem  of  supplying  the  troops  was 
given  to  this  Department. 

"Third :  That  various  special  units  not  included  in 
the  number  originally  estimated  for  were  shipped 
abroad. 

"These  are  the  facts  and  no  doubt  the  military  situa- 
tion demanded  this,  but  according  to  the  above  cable- 
cram  from  General  Pershing,  the  clothing  situation  is 
becoming  critical  on  the  other  side,  and  the  inability  to 
provide  clothing  in  case  any  further  troops  are  called 
into  the  service  in  this  country  still  further  complicates 
the  problem. 

"2.  On  October  12th,  a  confidential  letter  was  ad- 
dressed to  this  office  by  the  Adjutant  General,  giving 
the  priority  of  the  supply  of  woolen  clothing  to  the 
various  units  to  be  shipped  abroad  and  indicating  the 
order  in  which  these  troops  were  to  be  equipped,  and  it 
was  presumed  that  they  were  to  be  sent  abroad  in  the 


214       THE  QUAKTEKMASTEK  COKPS 

same  order.  This  provides,  first,  for  a  large  number 
of  aero  squadrons  and  then  for  another  division  of 
troops,  and  reference  is  made  to  this  letter  in  this  con- 
nection because  if  additional  troops  are  sent  abroad, 
with  the  reserve  which  must  be  given  them,  it  will 
further  complicate  the  clothing  situation  here,  on  ac- 
count of  making  greater  shortages. 

"In  repeated  cablegrams  General  Pershing  has  urged 
the  necessity  of  sending  labor  troops  over  in  order  to 
enable  him  to  make  proper  provision  for  handling  the 
supply  of  troops  which  he  already  has  there.  In  the 
letter  of  October  12th,  above  referred  to,  so  far  as  the 
Quartermaster's  Department  is  concerned,  many  of 
these  labor  troops  are  to  be  shipped  last. 

"3.  If  it  is  not  deemed  advisable  to  discontinue  the 
shipment  of  troops  abroad,  the  necessity  of  providing 
adequate  clothing  for  the  upkeep  of  the  troops  already 
abroad  is  imperative,  and  authority  to  make  shipments 
for  that  purpose  in  preference  to  any  other  demands  is 
requested." 

HENEY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  514.) 

The  above  paper  was  returned  by  first  endorsement 
from  Adjutant  General's  Office  under  date  of  October 
23,  1917,  as  follows: 

"To  the  Quartermaster  General: 

"With  the  information  that  the  decision  of  the  Presi- 
dent to  begin  sending  troops  abroad  at  an  earlier  date 
than  had  been  anticipated  by  him  and  to  call  the  incre- 
ments of  the  ^National  Army  at  an  earlier  date  than  he 
had  recommended,  has  called  upon  his  department  to 
put  forth  very  strenuous  efforts,  which  efforts,  however, 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  215 

have  so  far  fairly  well  met  the  needs  from  day  to  day, 
and  the  Secretary  is  convinced  that  this  same  energy 
will  meet  all  further  calls  made  upon  his  Department ; 
that  while  the  supply  situation  is  so  critical,  supplies 
will  continue  to  be  distributed  in  such  manner  that  no 
one  will  suffer,  that  troops  designated  for  overseas  serv- 
ice must  be  first  equipped  according  to  approved  sched- 
ule of  priority  in  equipment  board ;  that  General  Persh- 
ing's needs  must  be  taken  care  of,  but  a  large  reserve 
will  not  be  created  in  France  at  the  expense  of  the  men 
we  now  have  under  arms  and  who  must  be  made  com- 
fortable ;  that  as  soon  as  the  supply  situation  will  allow 
the  following  priority  list  will  govern — General  Persh- 
ing's needs  ahead  of  all  others,  with  troops  soon  to  join 
him,  second ;  National  Army  divisions  in  northern  can- 
tonments, third ;  other  troops  in  northern  places,  fourth ; 
National  Army  troops  at  southern  camps,  fifth;  and 
other  troops  in  southern  camps  last;  that  the  supply 
situation  will  be  kept  in  mind,  when  further  increments 
of  the  draft  are  under  consideration." 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
Adjutant  General.     (S.  515.) 

As  a  result  of  the  three  memoranda  above,  the  calls 
for  the  draft  were  delayed  to  some  extent  but  not 
discontinued  entirely  for  at  least  six  weeks,  as  had 
been  recommended  by  the  Quartermaster  General.  By 
December  5th,  there  were  542,868  men  in  the  National 
Army  cantonments,  or  about  80  per  cent,  of  the  draft 
of  687,000  men  as  made.  It  must  be  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  according  to  the  order  of  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral, dated  May  22,  1917,  500,000  men  were  to  be 
drafted  but  that  the  draft  actually  was  for  687,000 


216        THE  QUAKTEKMASTEK  COKPS 

men;  an  excess  over  the  original  figure  of  187,000  men. 
Consequently,  on  December  5th  there  were  42,868  more 
men  in  the  camps  than  the  number  stated  by  the  Quar- 
termaster General  which  could  be  supplied  by  December 
31,  1917.  That  number,  42,868,  does  not  include  the 
special  and  technical  troops  sent  abroad  or  the  men 
in  the  officers  training  camps. 

The  following  memorandum  was  sent  to  the  Chief  of 
Staff  on  December  6,  1917 : 

"Orders  have  been  issued  to  depots  to  complete  equip- 
ment for  every  National  Army  cantonment  after  the 
first  increment  to  the  draft  has  been  received  to  provide 
1  hat,  1  overcoat,  1  blouse  (olive  drab),  1  pair  of 
trousers  (olive  drab),  2  flannel  shirts;  2  suits  of  under- 
wear, 3  pairs  woolen  socks,  2  pairs  of  shoes  and  1  pair 
of  leggins.  Shipment  of  these  articles  were  completed 
by  the  depots  on  December  5th,  except  157,000  blouses 
(olive  drab),  which  it  is  estimated  will  be  completed  be- 
tween the  15th  and  20th  of  December.  It  is  contem- 
plated that  these  articles  will  reach  the  cantonments 
within  two  weeks  from  the  date  of  shipments.  There 
would  be  sufficient  olive  drab  cotton  blouses  at  every 
cantonment  to  make  up  the  deficiency  of  the  woolen 
garments  until  the  latter  arrives." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  511.) 

And  the  following  memorandum  was  sent  the  Chief 
of  Staff  on  December  13,  1917: 

"In  accordance  with  instructions  of  the  11th  instant, 
the  following  is  submitted  in  connection  with  cablegram 
No.  360,  dated  December  11,  1917,  paragraph  2,  sub- 
paragraph B   (copy  attached)   in  which  it  is  reported 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  217 

that  due  to  'the  failure  of  the  Quartermaster  Depart- 
ment to  land  supplies  of  winter  clothing  there  has  been 
produced  a  serious  situation.' 

"The  orders  directing  the  shipment  of  troops  abroad 
require  that  each  man  should  be  supplied  with  two  com- 
plete suits  of  woolen  uniforms,  one  overcoat,  three  suits 
of  woolen  underwear,  five  pairs  of  heavy  woolen  socks, 
two  flannel  shirts,  two  pairs  of  field  shoes,  slicker,  and 
three  blankets,  in  addition  to  one  hat,  one  pair  of  leggins 
and  one  pair  of  gloves. 

"Attached  hereto  is  a  statement  showing  all  of  the 
shipments  which  have  been  made  to  France  up  to  and 
including  December  12th." 

The  statement  is  omitted  here  but  will  be  referred 
to  later.  It  has  been  previously  shown  that  the 
Embarkation  Service  was  by  G.  O.  102,  War  Depart- 
ment July  30,  1917,  created  in  the  office  of  the  Chief 
of  Staff,  for  the  period  of  the  war,  to  take  charge  of  the 
embarkation  of  troops  and  supplies  for  transatlantic 
transportation  and  to  exercise  under  the  Secretary  of 
War,  the  direct  control  incident  to  that  service.  Para- 
graph 2  of  the  order  prescribes  as  follows: 

"2.  The  function  of  this  section  is  to  coordinate  all 
shipments  of  munitions  and  supplies  of  every  kind  and 
all  troop  movements  whose  ultimate  destination  is 
Europe  and  to  advise  and  assist  the  Chief  of  Staff  in 
reference  thereto.  It  will  have  direct  supervision  under 
the  Chief  of  Staff  of  all  movements  of  supplies  from 
points  of  origin  to  ports  of  embarkation;  will  supervise 
the  operations  of  the  latter  and  will  control  the  employ- 
ment of  all  Army  transports  engaged  in  the  transat- 
lantic service  and  such  commercial  shipping  as  may  be 


218        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

used  to  supplement  that  service.     It  will  arrange  with 
the  Navy  for  convoy  service." 

The  effect  of  this  order  was  to  take  from  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  all  control  of  such  matters,  a  condition 
which  evidently  was  not  appreciated  in  France,  as  was 
shown  "by  frequent  cablegrams  asking  that  the  Quarter- 
master General's  attention  be  called  to  the  improper 
loading  of  ships,  or  the  failure  to  forward  supplies. 
As  these  matters  were  entirely  removed  from  his  con- 
trol, frequent  requests  were  made  that  the  authorities 
in  France  be  so  informed,  in  order  that  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  should  not  be  blamed  for  matters  over 
which  it  then  had  no  control  or  supervision.  The  re- 
petition of  these  complaints  indicated  that  the  requests 
of  the  Quartermaster  General  were  not  complied  with. 
The  Quartermaster  Corps,  as  well  as  all  other  Supply 
Departments,  had  to  procure  from  the  Chief  of  the 
Embarkation  Service  a  "release"  before  either  men  or 
supplies  could  be  forwarded  to  the  ports  of  embarka- 
tion; after  they  were  so  sent  there  were  no  means  of 
ascertaining  whether  they  had  been  placed  aboard  the 
Transports.  In  order  to  secure  this  information  the 
Quartermaster  General  sent  a  number  of  officers,  with  a 
force  of  clerks,  to  the  Embarkation  Ports  to  keep  a 
check  on  such  matters,  and  to  enable  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  to  duplicate  a  shipment  in  case  of  the  loss  of  a 
transport,  but  such  men  were  not  allowed  to  function 
as  it  was  claimed  that  the  matter  was  confidential  and 
under  the  immediate  control  and  supervision  of  the 
Chief  of  Staff.     The  lack  of  fairness  in  permitting  the 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  219 

Quartermaster  Corps  to  be  blamed  for  matters  the  con- 
trol and  supervision  of  which  had  been  taken  from  it 
and  assumed  by  others  is  manifest. 

The  memorandum  of  December  13,  1917,  continues, 
as  follows: 

"In  addition  thereto,  this  office,  through  the  aid  of 
Colonel  Puckle,  of  the  Army  Service  Corps  of  the  Brit- 
ish Army,  now  on  duty  in  this  office,  has  secured  the 
consent  of  the  British  Government  for  the  sale  of 
200,000  uniforms  (100,000  made  up  and  the  other 
100,000  to  be  made  from  cloth  to  be  manufactured). 
General  Pershing  was  notified  of  this  and  was  informed 
to  purchase  same,  if  he  approved,  which  purchase  has 
since  been  undertaken,  as  has  also  the  purchase  of 
200,000  blankets  from  Spain,  made  on  General  Persh- 
ing's request." 

(Note:  The  regulation  buttons  and  ornaments  for 
the  uniforms  already  made  were  sent  over,  and  "cut- 
ters" provided  with  our  standard  patterns  for  uniforms 
were  sent  to  London  to  cut  the  100,000  uniforms  from 
the  cloth  when  manufactured.) 

The  memorandum  still  continues : 

"In  this  connection  attention  is  invited  to  the  fact 
that  the  troops  in  this  country  are  only  supplied  with 
one  suit  of  clothes,  three  suits  of  underwear,  three  pairs 
of  woolen  stockings,  two  pairs  of  shoes,  one  pair  of 
leggins,  a  hat,  a  pair  of  gloves,  one  coat,  one  overcoat, 
and  two  flannel  shirts.  The  troops  are  not  all  supplied 
with  slickers,  and  the  remainder  of  the  draft  has  not 
yet  been  supplied  with  woolen  coats.  This  is  only  one 
suit  to  be  worn  all  the  time  at  severe  drills  and  at 
parades,  which  has  been  required  to  last  them  from  the 


220        THE  QTJAETEEMASTEK  COKPS 

time  they  went  into  woolen  clothes  np  to  the  present 
time.  In  a  cablegram  from  General  Pershing,  dated 
October  1,  a  report  was  made  on  the  clothing  situation. 
This  office  submitted  a  memorandum  under  date  of  Oc- 
tober 18  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  and  stated  the  exact  con- 
dition as  to  clothing  and  recommended  that  'if  it  is  not 
deemed  advisable  to  discontinue  the  shipment  of  troops 
abroad,  the  necessity  of  providing  adequate  clothing  for 
the  upkeep  of  troops  already  abroad  is  imperative,  and 
authority  to  make  shipments  for  that  purpose  in  prefer- 
ence to  any  other  demands,  is  requested.'  The  mem- 
orandum was  returned  by  a  first  indorsement  from  the 
Adjutant  General's  Office  under  date  of  October  23 
(given  above).  The  distribution  of  the  available  cloth- 
ing has  been  made  by  this  department  in  accordance 
with  the  foregoing  instructions. 

r'It  is  quite  evident  that  the  situation  in  this  country 
is  not  appreciated  abroad  nor  the  efforts  which  are  being 
made  to  meet  the  calls  for  France.  It  is,  therefore, 
recommended  that  a  copy  of  office  memorandum  of 
October  18,  with  the  first  indorsement  of  the  Adjutant 
General's  Office  of  October  23,  together  with  a  copy  of 
this  memorandum  and  the  accompanying  statement,  be 
transmitted  to  General  Pershing.  Two  copies  of  each 
paper  referred  to  are  attached." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 

Quartermaster  General.     (S.  513-4.) 

INVESTIGATION  BY  COMMITTEE  ON  MILITARY  AFFAIRS  OF 
THE  SENATE 

Explanation  was  made  during  the  course  of  the  In- 
vestigation that  an  order  had  been  made  by  the  War  De- 
partment at  the  beginning  of  the  War  that  nothing 
would  be  undertaken,  and  no  changes  made  in  any  arti- 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  221 

cles,  which  did  not  assist  in  the  winning  of  the  war. 
This  order  was  quoted  as  the  reason  for  disapproving 
the  changes  in  the  uniform,  as  recommended  by  the 
Quartermaster  General,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
it  was  clearly  shown  that  such  changes  would  facilitate 
very  greatly  in  enabling  the  men  to  be  expeditiously 
equipped  because  of  the  great  reduction  in  the  number 
of  the  various  sizes  of  garments  which  would  have  to 
be  produced.  In  other  words,  more  men  could  be  fitted 
from  a  tariff  of  sizes  prepared  to  conform  to  the  changes 
recommended  than  could  be  from  the  tariff  of  sizes 
made  on  the  old  pattern.  Instructions  were  further 
given  that  only  such  changes  would  be  considered  as 
were  recommended  by  the  proper  authorities  with  our 
troops  in  France.  Consequently,  report  as  to  the  suit- 
ability and  adaptability  of  the  uniform  in  every  par- 
ticular was  called  for,  and  paragraph  67  cable  ~No.  38, 
from  General  Pershing  gave  the  character  of  winter 
clothing  necessary. 

This  cablegram  stated  that  the  present  woolen  under- 
wear, stockings,  flannel  shirts,  coats,  breeches,  and  field 
shoes  were  satisfactory;  and  recommended  hip  rub- 
ber boots  and  moccasins  for  use  of  men  in  the  trenches. 
It  stated  that  the  present  woolen  gloves  were  satisfac- 
tory if  the  wristlets  were  made  longer;  that  the  over- 
coats and  slickers  should  be  shortened  to  the  knee;  that 
leggins  were  not  satisfactory  on  account  of  mud  and 
that  they  should  be  replaced  by  spiral  puttees;  and 
strongly  recommended  the  issue  of  jerkins.  Steps  were 
at  once  taken  to  provide  for  the  changes  recommended. 


222        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

As  the  coats  and  breeches  were  reported  to  be  satis- 
factory, and  because  of  the  order  referred  to,  there  could 
be  no  effort  made  to  increase  the  weight  of  the  cloth. 

During  the  Senate  Investigation  the  Quartermaster 
General  was  asked  if  there  had  not  been  a  recommenda- 
tion from  the  chairman  of  the  Wool  Manufacturers' 
Committee  of  the  Committee  on  Supplies,  that  the 
weight  of  the  cloth  should  be  increased.  To  which  the 
Quartermaster  General  stated  that  no  such  recommenda- 
tion had  been  made  either  verbally  or  in  writing  to  the 
Quartermaster  Corps.  It  was  urged,  however,  with 
considerable  insistence  that  such  a  recommendation  had 
been  made,  and  that  it  was  presented  by  Colonel  John 
P.  Wood  one  of  the  best  wool  experts  in  the  country. 

Colonel  Wood  was  called  by  the  Senate  Committee 
and  on  January  7,  1918,  testified  that  he  was  President 
of  the  National  Association  of  Wool  Manufacturers  for 
a  number  of  years ;  that  he  had  served  as  chairman  of  a 
committee  requested  by  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
American  Association,  another  trade  organization, 
which  was  to  represent  the  industry  at  large  in  any  rela- 
tions it  would  have  with  the  Government. 

Colonel  Wood  was  asked  the  following  questions: 
(S.  1457.) 

"But  you  were  on  this  committee  on  woolens  which 
practically  created  the  standard  of  uniforms  for  soldiers 
here  ?" 

Colonel  Wood:  "'No;  we  only  made  certain  recom- 
mendations as  to  change  in  the  content,  not  as  to  the 
weight.    The  weight  had  already  been  long  established, 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  223 

and  no  question  had  been  raised  as  far  as  I  know,  except 
informally  and  in  conversation  with  individuals  not  in 
the  Government,  individuals  who  knew  about  the  heav- 
ier weights  of  cloth  used  abroad,  as  to  whether  it  might 
not  be  found  necessary  to  use  heavier  cloth  if  our  sol- 
diers wanted  it  over  there." 

Question:  "Was  that  considered  by  your  commit- 
tee?" 

Colonel  Wood :     "Yes,  sir." 

Question:  "Did  you  make  any  recommendations 
with  regard  to  it  ?" 

Colonel  Wood :  "None ;  because  nothing  had  been 
called  for  on  that  subject,  and  because  I  think  the  con- 
viction of  the  committee  generally  was  that  a  heavier 
weight  was  not  desirable,  and  perhaps  I  can  answer, 
having  some  voice  with  the  committee  now,  the  judg- 
ment today  is  that  the  16-ounce  uniform  is  quite  heavy 
enough." 

Colonel  Wood  was  also  called  before  the  Committee 
on  Military  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and 
on  January  15,  1918,  testified  as  follows:     (H.  715.) 

Colonel  Wood:  "A  great  deal  of  the  discussion  oc- 
curred in  the  Senate  Committee  hearing  as  to  the  suf- 
ficiency of  the  weight  of  the  uniform  cloth  which  is  now 
sixteen  ounces  to  the  yard,  and  it  has  been  referred  to 
by  some  of  the  members  of  the  Committee  as  being  en- 
tirely inadequate. 

"I  make  the  statement  now  that  I  did  before  that 
Committee,  that  until  some  American  experience  in 
European  service  determines  the  necessity  for  greater 


224        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

weight,  I  think  it  would  be  a  very  serious  mistake  to 
increase  the  weight,  and  for  this  reason:  the  troops 
in  the  Expeditionary  Force  are  to  wear  this  uniform 
the  year  round.  The  sixteen  ounce  weight  is  heavier 
than  the  average  weight  of  civilian  winter  clothing  in 
this  country,  which  is  fourteen  ounces." 

The  question  of  the  use  of  reworked  wools,  sometimes 
called  shoddy,  in  the  manufacture  of  clothes,  in  order 
to  conserve  the  wool  supply  of  the  country  also  came 
before  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Senate, 
and  quotation  from  the  testimony  of  Colonel  John  P. 
Wood  at  his  hearing  on  January  15,  1918  before  the 
Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives is  herewith  made.       (H.  710.) 

Chairman:  "As  I  understand  you,  from  your  ex- 
perience as  a  manufacturer  and  your  actual  experience 
in  the  field,  you  think  the  articles  supplied,  so  far 
as  keeping  the  soldiers  warm  is  concerned,  are  as  good 
as  are  supplied  to  the  soldiers  of  any  country  in  the 
world  ?" 

Colonel  Wood:  "Yes,  sir.  The  uniform — the  coat 
and  the  breeches — -has  thus  far  been  made  of  all  wool, 
with  the  exception  of  some  small  and  emergency  pur- 
chases, which  were  an  infinitesimal  part  of  the  whole 
quantity.  The  charge  that  the  uniforms  are  being  reg- 
ularly made  otherwise  than  of  all  new  wool  is  a 
mistake. 

"There  is  probably  one  other  thing  that  I  ought  to 
state  in  order  to  make  the  whole  subject  clear. 

"There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  discussion  by  the 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  225 

manufacturers  and  the  economy  board  and  others  about 
the  shortage  of  wool,  and  opposed  to  that,  other  state- 
ments have  been  made  by  some  persons  that  there  is  no 
shortage  of  wool. 

"Both  are  right,  but  because  of  the  difference  of  the 
statements  it  probably  needs  a  little  clearing  up  of  the 
situation. 

"We  have  in  this  country  at  the  present  time  prob- 
ably as  much  wool  as  we  ordinarily  have.  But  there 
are  two  very  important  qualifications :  Of  the  approxi- 
mately 280,000,000  pounds  grown  in  America  in  a  year, 
which  is  about  one-third  of  what  we  are  now  using,  only 
about  35  per  cent,  of  that  is  of  the  grades  such  as  are 
necessary  for  military  clothing,  and  the  rest  of  it  is 
much  finer  fibered  wool  and  while  it  could  be  used  it 
would  be  much  more  costly  and  not  make  so  sturdy  a 
cloth. 

"We  rely  for  the  rest  of  our  wool  upon  importations 
from  Australia,  New  Zealand,  South  America  and 
South  Africa.  Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  South 
Africa  are  under  the  control  of  Great  Britain  entirely, 
and  owing  to  the  shortage  of  ships  it  has  been  almost 
impossible  to  bring  any  from  those  colonies  to  this  coun- 
try for  nearly  a  year.  A  certain  amount  has  been 
brought  from  South  America,  but  Great  Britain's  anxi- 
ety, both  for  herself  and  her  allies,  to  create  a  supply 
against  a  still  more  serious  shortage  of  shipping  and 
competition  in  South  America  for  the  wool  of  the  only 
open  or  free  market,  has  made  it  impossible  for  us  to  ac- 


226       THE  QUAKTEKMASTEK  COKPS 

cumulate  supplies  for  the  future.  The  whole  question  is 
involved  in  the  problem  of  shipping. 

" There  is  a  lot  of  wool  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand, 
but  most  of  that  is  also  of  the  fine  sort.  Great  Britain 
has  taken  almost  all  of  the  coarser  wools  for  military 
purposes.  The  necessity  for  conservation  at  the  moment 
is  because  of  the  very  great  difficulty,  if  not  impossibil- 
ity, of  bringing  wools  in  any  large  quantity  to  this 
country,  and  while  we  have  enough  probably  to  see  us 
through  for  this  year,  if  the  amount  brought  to  the 
country  continues  to  be  as  little  as  during  the  last  nine 
months,  we  will  have  a  famine  in  wool  in  1919,  while 
with  the  shortage  of  shipping  increased  by  reason  of 
destruction  or  by  reason  of  diversion  of  still  more  ves- 
sels to  carrying  supplies  to  our  troops  in  Europe,  the 
wool  situation  will  become  acute  even  sooner. 

"That  is  the  reason  for  anticipating  and  conserv- 
ing the  wool  now  while  we  have  it,  rather  than  waiting 
until  the  supply  is  exhausted.  It  is  not  a  question  of 
whether  we  want  to  use  the  cloth  in  the  proportion  of 
65  to  35,  but  it  is  whether,  by  adopting  that  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war  we  can  continue  using  that  for  a 
considerable  period  of  time,  or  whether  we  should  go  on 
using  100  per  cent,  in  all  of  these  articles  for  1917,  and 
then  probably  have  to  use  a  much  greater  proportion 
than  35  per  cent,  of  reworked  wool.  That  is  why  this 
step  was  taken." 

The  above  are  the  reasons  so  ably  and  concisely  ex- 
pressed by  an  acknowledged  expert  which  influenced  the 
Quartermaster  General  to  adopt  the  use  of  reworked 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  227 

wool  in  the  manufacture  of  cloth  for  overcoats  and  in 
the  blankets,  making  use  of  the  clips,  the  same  method 
of  conservation  as  that  of  using  the  remainder  of  a 
Christmas   turkey   the   following   day. 

It  is  interesting  to  ascertain  the  practice  of  the  Eng- 
lish as  regards  the  use  of  reworked  wool  in  manufactur- 
ing cloth.  Howard  Preistman  of  Bradford,  Eng- 
land, an  authority  on  wool  manufacture  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  in  a  paper  published  in  the  ''Bulletin  of  the 
National  Association  of  Woolen  and  Worsted  Manu- 
facturers" for  July,  1918,  writes  as  follows: 

"It  is  probable  that  the  use  of  shoddy  has  been  an 
even  greater  cause  of  controversy  in  America  than  it 
has  been  in  England,  for  in  England  we  have  never 
shut  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that  we  imported  100,000,000 
pounds  of  rags  per  year  before  the  war ;  that  we  added 
all  our  own  waste  cloth  to  these,  and  ground  the  whole 
down  to  fiber  again.  Then,  by  mixing  this  short  fiber 
with  a  very  large  quantity  of  brain  and  with  very  little 
else,  the  manufacturers  of  the  heavy  woolen  district 
turned  out  an  immense  amount  of  serviceable  cloth  at 
an  absurdly  low  price. 

"Probably  this  was  the  reason  why  the  authorities  did 
not  waste  much  time  in  establishing  a  center  of  their 
own  for  dealing  with  the  incredible  quantity  of  old 
socks,  underclothing,  uniforms,  and  overcoats  that  so 
early  in  the  war  began  to  pour  in  from  France.  At  any 
rate,  such  a  warehouse  is  in  existence  in  Dewsbury. 
and  through  its  efficient  management  millions  of  pounds 


228       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

that  otherwise  would  have  been  wasted  are  turned  from 
old  garments  into  new." 

SHORTAGES    AT    CAMPS 

At  the  hearing  before  the  Committee  on  Military 
Affairs  of  the  Senate  on  December  21;  1917,  the  mat- 
ter of  the  shortage  of  clothing  at  the  camps  was  brought 
up.  Explanation  was  made  that  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  stated  that  a  definite  number  of  men  could  be 
clothed  by  December  31,  1917;  that  the  men  were 
called  to  the  camps  in  advance  of  the  time  at  which  it 
was  stated  they  could  be  provided  for;  that  an  addi- 
tional number  of  troops  were  called  that  were  not  in- 
cluded in  the  original  plans;  and  that  the  shipment 
of  troops  to  France  was  commenced  many  months  in 
advance  of  the  time  originally  planned,  and  that  such 
shipments  necessitated  furnishing  the  men  with  addi- 
tional uniforms  and  sending  to  France  large  reserves, 
thus  depleting  the  stock  available  to  clothe  the  men 
called  to  the  camps.  And  further  that  orders  to  rush 
the  shipments  of  the  clothing  to  supply  the  existing 
shortages  had  been  given,  and  that  by  the  end  of  two 
weeks  all  would  be  provided.  The  Committee  on  Mili- 
tary Affairs  of  the  Senate  called  upon  the  Secretary  of 
War  for  a  report  regarding  the  shortages  of  woolen 
clothing,  this  report  is  given  in  the  following  communi- 
cation : 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  229 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

Washington,  January  4,  1918. 

"Hon.  Geo.  E.  Chamberlain, 

"Chairman  Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  United 
States  Senate. 
"My  dear  Senator :  Replying  to  the  communication 
from  your  committee  of  December  26,  regarding  short- 
age of  woolen  clothing,  the  following  is  submitted  for 
your  information : 

"Telegrams  were  sent  to  all  camp  commanders  for 
reports  as  to  shortage,  and  replies  were  received.  From 
these  replies  there  is  found  to  exist  a  shortage,  and  the 
lists  below  show  such  camps  and  the  efforts  made  to 
correct  same: 

"Camp  Wheeler:  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  short  1,141,  due  to  lack  of  proper 
sizes.  Instructions  sent  to  depot  quartermaster  to  em- 
ploy necessary  labor  and  alter  those  on  hand. 

"Camp  Shelby :  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  short  5,100.    Ordered  from  New  York. 

"Camp  Kearney:  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  short  13,809.  Climate  mild;  shortage 
due  to  sending  blouses  to  colder  camps  first. 

"Camp  Dix:  Overcoats,  short  19;  en  route  to  camp 
2,500.  Blouses,  woolen  short  1,110;  en  route  to  camp 
6,000. 

"Camp  Jackson :  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  number  sufficient. 

"Camp  Grant :  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  short  3,821.  Ordered  from  Chicago 
depot. 

"Camp  Custer:  Overcoats,  short  530.  December 
26,  600  were  shipped  by  express  from  Philadelphia. 
Blouses,    woolen,   short   4,530,   due  to   lack   of   proper 


230       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

sizes.  Instructions  sent  to  depot  quartermaster  to  em- 
ploy necessary  labor  and  alter  those  on  hand. 

"Camp  Beauregard:  Overcoats,  short  10,863. 
Shipped  by  express  December  22,  22,300.  Blouses, 
woolen,  short  3,094;  2,784  blouses  on  hand  have  been 
ordered  altered. 

"Camp  Bowie:  Overcoats,  number  sufficient.  Blouses, 
woolen,  short  3,725 ;  2,750  sent  to  Fort  Sam  Houston 
for  exchange.     Balance  ordered  shipped  by  express. 

"Camp  Dodge:  Overcoats,  short  50.  Blouses, 
woolen,  short  300.  Both  due  to  lack  of  proper  sizes. 
Depot  quartermaster  directed  to  employ  labor  and  alter 
same  to  fit. 

"Camp  Doniphan :  Overcoats,  short  2.  Blouses, 
woolen,  number  sufficient. 

"Camp  Funston:  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  short  9,600;  now  en  route  by  express, 
10,000. 

"Camp  Wadsworth:  Overcoats,  short  45.  Depot 
quartermaster  authorized  to  hire  labor  to  alter  those 
on  hand.  Blouses,  woolen,  short  3,367.  Shipped  by 
express  December  23,  2,000. 

"Camp  Sheridan:  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  short  3,996,  due  to  lack  of  proper  sizes. 
Instructions  sent  to  depot  quartermaster  to  employ  nec- 
essary labor  and  alter  those  on  hand. 

"Camp  Pike:  Overcoats,  short  46.  Blouses, 
woolen,  short  1,260.  Overcoats  and  blouses,  woolen,  or- 
dered shipped  from  St.  Louis  depot. 

"Camp  Greene:  Overcoats,  number  sufficient. 
Blouses,  woolen,  number  sufficient. 

"Instructions  have  been  sent  to  all  depot  quarter- 
masters to  obtain  immediately,  locally,  any  uniform  gar- 
ment which  is  short  in  order  to  give  to  each  man  one 
woolen  uniform;   when  wrong  sizes  are  on  hand,  to 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  231 

exchange  with  other  camps,  if  practicable,  and  to  em- 
ploy garment  makers  to  alter  garments  so  as  to  fit  those 
who  are  without  necessary  uniforms. 

"In  addition  to  the  shortages  of  overcoats  and  woolen 
blouses  mentioned  above,  the  reports  also  showed  short- 
ages of  breeches  in  some  camps,  and  in  five  or  six  there 
were  small  shortages  of  woolen  underwear  and  some 
men  did  not  have  the  prescribed  allowance  of  three 
complete  suits  of  underwear.  These  were  also  directed 
to  be  supplied  from  local  markets. 

"Blouses  are  very  difficult  to  obtain  and  the  shortage 
on  this  account  is  quite  general.  However,  provided 
each  man  has  woolen  underwear,  and  a  flannel  shirt,  and 
an  overcoat,  the  temporary  shortage  would  not  materi- 
ally cause  great  inconvenience.  As  fast  as  woolen 
blouses  are  received  from  contractors  they  are  being 
forwarded  by  express  to  the  different  camps  and  can- 
tonments where  shortage  exists. 

"The  delay  in  overcoats  and  other  garments  received 
was  due  partially  to  supply  and  largely  to  railroad  de- 
lays, far  longer  than  customary.  All  the  camp  com- 
manders have  been  directed  to  report  daily  as  to  equip- 
ment. 

"In  all  cases  there  was  found  to  be  sufficient  bedding 
in  the  hands  of  the  troops." 

Cordially  yours, 
NEWTON  D.  BAKEB, 

Secretary  of  War.     (  S.  1 , 3  5 1 . ) 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  above  letter  cites  the  steps 
taken  to  cover  the  shortages.  The  totals  of  the  short- 
ages above  reported  amount  to  11,555  overcoats,  and 
,55,183  blouses. 

The  Secretary  of  War,  on  January  28,  1918,  testified 


232       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

before  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  Senate, 
as  follows: 

"Now,  instead  of  having  50,000  or  100,000  men 
in  France,  in  1917,  we  have  many  more  men  than  that 
in  France,  and  instead  of  half  a  million  men  whom 
we  could  ship  to  France  if  we  could  find  any  way  to 
do  it  in  1918,  we  will  have  more  than  one-half  mil- 
lion men  in  France  early  in  1918 ;  and  we  have  avail- 
able to  ship  to  France,  if  the  transportation  facilities 
are  available  to  us — and  the  prospects  are  not  unprom- 
ising— we  will  have  one  and  one-half  million  who  in 
1918  can  be  shipped  to  France." 


The  Chairman :  "Why  have  you  not  felt  it  proper  to 
let  the  public  into  your  confidence  with  reference  to 
these  things  that  you  are  telling  now  ?" 

Secretary  Baker:  "Senator,  I  confess  I  have  hesi- 
tated and  I  still  hesitate.  I  have  here  a  statement  from 
Field  Marshal  Von  Hindenburg,  in  which  he  is  quoted 
as  saying  in  a  German  newspaper,  in  contemptuous 
fashion  of  us,  that  we  have  advertised  our  preparations 
for  this  war  in  an  unworthy  manner." 

The  Chairman :  "Do  you  think  for  a  moment, 
Secretary  Baker,  that  there  has  been  any  time  within 
the  last  year  that  the  German  Secret  Service  has  not 
been  fully  advised  as  to  everything  we  have  done  ?" 

Secretary  Baker:  "Yes,  Senator,  I  know.  If  I 
may  rely  upon  confidential  information  which  we  get 
from  confidential  sources,  the  German  Government  is 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  233 

still  mystified  as  to  the  number  of  men  we  have  in 
France,  or  have  had  there  at  any  time."     (S.  1978.) 

The  above  statement  was  made  at  a  public  session 
of  the  Committee,  and  at  the  session  held  on  February 
6,  1918,  effort  was  made  to  secure  information  for  the 
basis  of  the  statement,  and  the  Secretary  of  War  was 
questioned  as  to  the  ship  tonnage  which  would  be  avail- 
able for  transporting  the  troops  to  France.  The  latter 
session  was  also  public,  and  for  that  reason  Senator 
Beckham  made  the  following  remarks:     (S.  2.080.) 

"Let  me  make  the  suggestion:  I  believe  all  of  the 
members  of  the  Committee  recognize  the  wisdom  of 
the  War  Department  in  not  disclosing  the  exact  number 
of  troops  we  now  have  in  France.  Yet,  at  the  same 
time,  the  effect  of-  these  questions,  if  answered,  in  de- 
termining how  many  tons  of  shipping  you  have,  how 
much  has  been  used,  how  much  we  will  have  at  some 
time  in  the  future  would  be,  by  a  simple  process  of 
arithmetic,  to  bring  out  exactly  how  many  troops  we 
have  taken  over  there,  because  we  can  all  well  under- 
stand that  troops  have  been  shipped  over  there  as 
rapidly  as  tonnage  could  be  found. 

"The  direction  of  these  questions  is  to  that  effect,  to 
disclose  in  a  public  hearing  how  many  troops  we  have  in 
France." 

As  stated  previously,  the  orders  positively  prohibited 
the  eivino;  of  information  as  to  the  number  of  men  in- 
the  camps  and  the  number  of  troops  which  had  been 
shipped  to  France.  The  above  extracts  clearly  indicate 
the  fact  and  the  propriety  of  such  orders.     Because  of 


234       THE  QtfAKTEftMASTER  CORPS 


such  orders  it  was  not  possible  for  the  Quartermaster 
General  to  give  a  statement  of  the  amount  of  clothing 
shipped  to  France  as  a  reserve,  as  these  figures  would 
indicate  the  number  of  men  there. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  clothing  and  equipage 
shipped  overseas  by  depots  from  date  of  first  convoy 
to  Jan.  15,  1918  (H.  736). 


CLOTHING 


Belts,  waist   122,268 

Blankets    520,253 

Boots,  rubber: 

Hip  152,224 

Knee 9,556 

Breeches,  wool  227,359 

Caps: 

Denim 11,872 

Winter   222,212 

Chevrons,  wool 74,109 

Coats : 

Blue,  dress   1,824 

Wool 132,047 

Denim    70,350 

Drawers,  wool   856,361 

Gauntlets,  winter    ....  184,437 

Gloves: 

Riding   91,583 

Wool 279,919 

Horsehide,  fleece 

lined   2,902 

Yellow,  horsehide  . .  .  30,902 

Hats,  service 158,698 

Jerkins  201,155 


Laces : 
Breeches 
Leggins 
Shoe   . . . 


Leggins : 

Canvas   

Leather    

Spiral,  puttee 

Moccasins    

Overcoats  

Overshoes,  arctic 

Shirts,  flannel    

Shoes,  field   

Slickers    

Stretchers,  shoe   

Toques   

Trousers : 

Denim    

Blue,  dress   

Undershirts,  wool  .... 
Stockings,    wool    heavy 


359,413 

1,561 

267,632 

79,907 
1,000 
234,752 
201,161 
140,574 
355,868 
215,957 
898,821 

84,839 

335 

135,673 

100,456 

3,024 

681,224 


weight    941,512 


Note :  The  orders  directing  the  shipment  of  troops 
abroad  required  that  each  man  shall  be  supplied  with  2 
complete  suits  of  woolen  uniforms,  1  overcoat,  3  suits 
of  woolen  underwear,  5  pairs  of  heavy  woolen  socks,  2 
flannel  shirts,  2  pairs  field  shoes,  1  slicker,  3  blankets, 
1  hat,  1  pair  spiral  puttees,  1  pair  gloves. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  235 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  above  table  there  had 
been  shipped  227,359  breeches,  wool;  132,047  coats, 
wool;  856,361  drawers,  wool;  140,574  overcoats;  215,- 
957  shirts,  flannel;  681,224  undershirts,  wool.  These 
figures  compared  with  the  total  shortages  given  in  the 
letter  of  the  Secretary  of  War  of  January  4,  1918,  above 
quoted  indicate  that  those  shortages  of  11,555  over- 
coats; 55,183  blouses,  and  some  breeches  and  underwear 
would  not  have  existed  on  December  31,  1917,  the  date 
stated  at  which  the  troops  would  be  equipped,  had  not 
the  necessity  of  shipping  the  supplies  to  France  arisen. 
Furthermore,  it  will  be  noted  that  each  man  sent  to 
France  was  provided  with  an  extra  suit  of  uniform, 
and  it  will  be  shown  that  the  remainder  of  the  draft, 
144,132  could  have  been  supplied  from  the  extra  uni- 
forms so  taken  over  by  the  men. 

According  to  official  figures  there  were  on  December 
31,  1917, 

In  United  States  Service                         \  Men 

Exclusive  of  5,493  Philippine  Scouts   / 1,324,573 

and  of  this  number  there  were  in  France  178,591  men 
on  the  same  date. 

As  the  shortages  noted  in  the  Secretary  of  War's 
letter  of  Jan.  4,  1918,  had  been  provided  for,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  Quartermaster  Corps  had  equipped  and 
clothed  the  following  men  by  December  31,  1917: 

Men 
In  the  United  States  Service  exclusive  of  Philip- 
pine Scouts    1,324,573 

Marines     3,850 

Signal  Corps  Cadets 7,000 


236        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

1st  Training  Camp 42,000 

2nd  Training  Camp 26,000 

A.  E.  F.    (extra  uniforms) 178,591 

Total     1,582,014 

And  it  is  thought  to  be  a  fair  statement  to  add  that 
in  so  doing  the  Quartermaster  Corps  fully  carried  out 
the  plan  given  to  it,  and  accomplished  the  task  in  the 
time  prescribed,  and  by  the  date  which  had  been  fre- 
quently specified. 

PROBLEM   OF   SUPPLY 

In  order  to  work  out  a  plan  by  which  supplies  should 
always  be  available  when  needed,  both  in  this  country 
and  abroad,  it  was  necessary  to  consider  carefully  the 
amount  of  time  required  for  transportation  of  supplies 
from  manufacturers  to  depots,  from  depots  to  camps, 
or  from  depots  to  troops  abroad. 

An  even  more  important  problem  was  that  of  deter- 
mining the  time  required  to  obtain  supplies  after  orders 
had  been  placed  with  factories,  and  oftentimes  diffi- 
culties necessarily  resulted  because  of  an  underestima- 
tion of  this  time  or  because  of  delinquencies  in  factories 
themselves. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  it  was  peculiarly  true 
that  factories  took  contracts  for  much  more  than  they 
could  actually  produce,  and  that  factories  in  certain 
parts  of  the  country  were  given  contracts  for  much 
more  than  could  actually  be  produced  in  their  terri- 
tories. The  proper  allocation  of  contracts,  the  deter- 
mination in  advance  of  the  allocation  of  contracts  as  to 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  237 

whether  raw  materials  were  available  for  the  actual 
manufacture,  were  matters  which  had  to  be  worked  out 
in  great  detail.  For  example,  the  problem  with  respect 
to  woolen  clothing  was  not  merely  the  problem  of  pur- 
chase of  a  supply  already  existing.  It  was  a  problem 
of  determining:  first,  how  many  suits  were  needed  and 
when  and  where  needed;  second,  of  making  sure  that 
the  wool  was  available  for  the  manufacturing  of  such 
suits — and  this  constituted  one  of  the  most  serious 
problems ;  third,  the  placing  of  contracts  for  the  obtain- 
ing of  such  uniforms;  and  fourth,  the  delivery  of  the 
uniforms  to  the  places  where  they  were  actually  needed. 
The  problem  of  obtaining,  manufacturing  and  supply- 
ing quartermaster  supplies  for  the  Army  at  home  and 
abroad  was  therefore  tied  up  with  the  whole  system 
of  national  industry  and  of  inland  and  ocean  trans- 
portation. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  SUPPLIES  IN  THIS  COUNTRY 

The  Quartermaster  Corps  machinery  for  distribution 
and  for  control  of  distribution  has  been  generally  re- 
ferred to  above.  It  is  desirable,  however,  to  refer  to 
the  relationship  between  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  in  distribution  and  the  several  camps, 
posts,  and  military  stations  throughout  the  country. 

When  the  war  first  began  all  supervision  over  the 
supply  of  posts,  camps,  etc.,  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
six  territorial  Army  departments  and  was  supervised 
by  the  department  commanders  and  under  the  depart- 


238       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ment  commanders  by  the  department  quartermasters. 
By  General  Orders,  No.  96,  W.D.  1917  (July  20, 
1917),  organized  tactical  divisions  of  the  National 
Guard  and  the  National  Army  after  arrival  at  their 
divisional  camps  (the  new  training  camps  constituted 
as  a  result  of  the  war)  were  exempted  from  the  control 
of  the  department  commanders  in  all  that  pertained  to 
administration,  instruction,  training,  and  discipline. 
Department  commanders,  however,  were  expressly 
given  supervision  over  the  supply  of  these  camps,  and 
were  required  to  take  steps  to  establish  a  camp  supply 
depot  at  each  camp.  These  camp  supply  depots  were 
to  be  filled  from  the  general  depots  of  the  supply 
bureaus,  or  directly  from  contractors  as  designated 
under  the  direction  of  the  bureau  chiefs.  The  camp 
supply  depots  were  by  this  order  under  the  direction  of 
division  commanders. 

General  Orders  No.  137,  W.D.  1917  (Oct.  30,  1917), 
rescinded  General  Orders  No.  96  and  exempted  from 
the  control  of  the  department  commanders  the  supply 
of  organized  tactical  divisions  of  the  National  Guard 
and  National  Army  after  arrival  at  divisional  camps. 
By  General  Orders  No.  137  "The  camp  representatives 
of  each  supply  department  will  report  direct  to  and  be 
under  the  supervision  of  commanding  officers  of  such 
supply  depots  as  may  be  directed  by  the  respective 
bureau  chiefs,  who  will  be  held  responsible  that  adequate 
supplies  are  on  hand  at  all  times."  Camp  supply  de- 
pots remained  under  the  direction  of  division  or  camp 
commanders  for  discipline,  protection,  and  coordination 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  239 

of  supply  within  their  divisions  or  camps,  but  ceased  to 
be  under  the  control  of  the  division  or  camp  command- 
ers with  respect  to  the  general  handling  of  supplies 
themselves. 

A  Fuel  and  Forage  Branch  was  established  in  the 
Supplies  Division  very  early  in  the  war,  and  Colonel 
W.  H.  Horton  assigned  to  the  charge  of  same,  and  to 
act  as  the  representative  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
with  the  Fuel  Administration  when  the  latter  was 
created. 

Previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  United  States 
Fuel  Administration,  the  coal  and  other  fuel  required 
by  the  army  were  procured  by  contract,  after  due  ad- 
vertisement as  required  by  law.  These  advertisements 
were  issued  from  the  various  department  headquarters, 
under  the  decentralized  method  of  administration  then 
in  operation.  It  was  found  that  satisfactory  contracts 
could  not  be  made,  as  the  coal  producers  and  dealers 
were  unwilling  under  the  conditions  then  existing  to 
enter  into  contract  for  any  extended  period  of  time. 
After  the  establishment  of  the  Fuel  Administration  it 
was  necessary  to  centralize  in  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  the  supply  of  coal  for  the  army  and 
compilations  were  made  covering  the  requirements  of 
all  posts,  camps  and  stations.  Allocations  for  them  were 
received  from  the  Fuel  Administration. 

Many  difficulties  were  encountered  in  the  winter  of 
1917-18  in  keeping  the  camps  supplied  with  the  neces- 
sary fuel,  due  to  the  severity  of  the  weather,  the  short- 
age  in   production   of  coal,    delays   in   transportation, 


240        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

caused  by  snow  and  by  the  congestion  of  transporta- 
tion ;  but  by  constant  attention  it  was  possible  to  main- 
tain the  supply  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  with  but  few 
complaints  of  actual  shortage. 

The  relationship  and  contact  with  the  Fuel  Adminis- 
tration was  close  and  constant.  Through  circular  let- 
ters outlining  methods  of  procedure  in  procurement  of 
coal  and  coke,  decentralization  was  sought  in  order  that 
time  might  be  saved.  The  Fuel  Administration  had  its 
representatives  in  nearly  all  the  coal-producing  dis- 
tricts of  the  country.  After  quartermasters  were  ad- 
vised as  to  which  district  representative  their  require- 
ments had  been  referred  for  allocation  with  the  coal  or 
coke-producing  companies,  or  with  which  producing 
company  estimate  had  been  placed,  these  quartermast- 
ers were  authorized  to  handle  the  matter  direct  with  the 
representatives  or  the  shipper. 

Previous  to  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  forage  and 
bedding  required  by  the  army  had  been  handled  in  the 
same  way  as  the  fuel  requirements,  that  is,  by  contract 
after  advertisement.  This  was  also  found  unsatisfac- 
tory, due  to  the  great  fluctuations  in  prices,  and  an  office 
was  established  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Colonel  E.  E.  Dravo,  charged  with  the  duty  of 
obtaining  the  necessary  supplies. 

CONSERVATION  AND  RECLAMATION 

Very  early  after  the  declaration  of  war,  the  United 
States  followed  the  British  and  French  example  of  pro- 
viding for  the  reclamation  of  materials  and  supplies. 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  241 

The  proper  provisions  for  disinfecting,  cleaning,  repair- 
ing, and  pressing  of  clothing,  shoes,  and  equipage  be- 
came the  more  necessary  after  the  abolition  (by  Gen- 
eral Orders,  No.  89,  War  Department,  1917)  of  the 
individual  clothing  allowance  for  enlisted  men.  With 
the  publication  of  this  order,  clothing  issued  to  enlisted 
men  became  definitely  Government  property,  and  a 
guaranty  was  given  that  a  soldier  would  be  furnished 
the  quantity  of  clothing  necessary  and  adequate  for  the 
service  upon  which  he  was  engaged.  With  respect  to 
shoes,  action  in  providing  methods  of  repair  was  taken 
on  June  28,  1917,  when  instructions  were  issued  by  The  j 
Adjutant  General's  Office  to  all  department  command7"" 
ers  in  the  United  States  authorizing  them  to  submit 
requisitions  for  machinery  for  half-soling  shoes,  at  the 
rate  of  one  machine  for  each  regiment  called  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  Supplies  Division  of  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General  a  Conservation  Branch  was  created  on 
October  5,  1917.  This  branch  was  erected  into  an  in- 
dependent division  of  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General  by  Office  Order  No.  114  (Nov.  8,  1917).  By 
June  30,  1918,  the  Conservation  and  Reclamation  Di- 
vision had  a  total  personnel  of  108. 

On  December  1,  1917,  every  camp  quartermaster  and 
depot  quartermaster  was  directed  to  assign  an  officer 
and  an  adequate  personnel  to  conservation  work  in  the 
respective  camps  and  depots,  and  an  allotment  was  made 
of  8  men  for  the  operation  of  every  shoe  shop  and  21 
men  to  every  clothing  repair  shop. 


242        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

On  January  29,  1918,  General  Orders  No.  9  pub- 
lished to  the  Army  regulations  pertinent  to  reclama- 
tion of  waste  at  the  various  depots,  cantonments,  camps, 
posts,  forts,  and  other  units  of  the  Army,  and  charged 
the  reclamation  officer  with  the  direct  supervision  of 
clothing,  shoe,  hat,  and  equipage  repair  shops  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps. 

In  December,  1917,  the  construction  of  a  building 
to  house  the  repairing  of  shoes  and  clothing  was  author- 
ized at  each  of  the  National  Army  and  National  Guard 
camps.  The  space  thus  provided  proved  insufficient  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  camps  and  cantonments 
and  had  to  be  increased  from  time  to  time.  Base  plants 
were  established  at  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Atlanta, 
Fort  Sam  Houston,  El  Paso,  Jeffersonville,  and  Chi- 
cago. These  base  plants  provided  a  means  of  renovat- 
ing clothing  and  equipage  for  the  small  stations,  where 
the  establishment  of  a  repair  shop  was  not  warranted 
or  advantageous  contracts  could  not  be  made. 

On  June  17,  1918,  Special  Regulations  No.  77  were 
published  to  the  Army.  These  regulations  enlarged 
the  functions  of  the  Conservation  and  Reclamation  Di- 
vision, placing  all  laundering,  dry  cleaning,  and  gar- 
dening and  farming  under  its  jurisdiction,  in  addition 
to  the  repairing  of  clothing,  shoes,  hats,  and  equipage, 
and  the  prevention  of  waste  specified  in  General  Or- 
ders, No.  9,  1918. 

The  personnel  of  the  field  organization  in  the  various 
cantonments  and  camps  grew  from  the  original  allot- 
ment of  8  men  to  every  shoe  shop  and  21  men  to  every 


SUPPLIES  DIVISION  243 

clothing  repair  shop  to  a  company  of  580  officers  and 
men.  The  enlisted  personnel  consisted  of  men  dis- 
qualified for  any  reason  for  service  overseas. 

The  repair  shops  authorized  in  December,  1917,  were 
in  many  cases  completed  and  equipped  and  in  opera- 
tion by  April,  1918. 

Camp  laundries  were  established  at  Camps  Custer, 
Dix,  Funston,  Lee,  Meade,  Merritt,  Sherman,  Stuart, 
Taylor,  Travis,  Upton,  and  at  15  Regular  Army  Posts. 


VI 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  AND  REMOUNT 
SERVICE 

Organization  and  operation — Method  of  purchasing  remounts 
during  the  War  with  Germany — Training  activities — Over- 
seas units — Breeding. 

ORGANIZATION   AND  OPERATION 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  War  with  Germany,  the  Re- 
mount Division  was  not  yet  in  existence  and  there  was 
no  Remount  Service  worthy  of  that  name.  The  pur- 
chase of  army  remounts  and  the  supervision  over  the 
three  permanent  remount  depots,  and  the  two  auxiliary 
remount  depots  then  in  existence,  and  remount  matters, 
generally,  were  entrusted  to  the  Transportation  Division 
of  the  Quartermaster  General's  Office.  That  Division, 
likewise,  had  jurisdiction  over  the  procurement  and 
distribution  of  all  motor-propelled  and  animal-drawn 
vehicles,  harness  and  miscellaneous  animal  and  wagon 
equipment.  Later  the  Remount  Branch  of  the  Trans- 
portation Division  was  organized,  and  in  September, 
1917,  this  Branch  developed  into  a  fully  organized  Di- 
vision, with  one  officer  in  charge  and  four  commissioned, 
and  about  sixteen  civilian  assistants.  At  that  time 
the    procurement    and    distribution    of    animal-drawn 

244 


REMOUNT  DIVISION"  245 

vehicles,  harness  and  miscellaneous  animal  and  wagon 
equipment  were  also  transferred  from  the  Transporta- 
tion Division  to  the  newly  organized  Remount  Division. 

For  the  purpose  of  the  procurement  of  remounts,  the 
United  States,  shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  War, 
was  divided  into  four  Remount  Purchasing  Zones,  viz : 
the  Eastern  Zone  with  Headquarters  at  the  Front  Royal 
Remount  Depot,  Front  Royal,  Va. ;  the  Southern  Zone 
with  Headquarters  at  Fort  Reno  Remount  Depot,  Fort 
Reno,  Oklahoma;  the  Northern  Zone  with  Headquar- 
ters at  Fort  Keogh  Remount  Depot,  Fort  Keogh,  Mon- 
tana ;  and  the  Central  Zone  with  Headquarters  at  Kan- 
sas City,  Missouri. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  War,  there  were  as  hereto- 
fore stated,  three  permanent  remount  depots  and  two 
auxiliary  remount  depots  in  existence,  viz :  the  per- 
manent remount  depots  at  Front  Royal,  Virginia,  Fort 
Reno,  Oklahoma,  and  Fort  Keogh,  Montana,  and  the 
auxiliary  remount  depots  at  Fort  Bliss,  Texas,  and  Fort 
Sam  Houston,  Texas.  There  were  on  hand  with  or- 
ganizations and  at  posts  and  stations  in  the  United 
States  and  Insular  Possessions,  approximately  100,000 
animals  of  all  classes.  These  were  distributed  largely 
along  the  Mexican  Border,  and  in  the  Southern  Depart- 
ment, having  been  turned  into  the  two  auxiliary  Re- 
mount Depots,  named  above,  by  organizations  of  the 
National  Guard,  when  the  latter  were  ordered  to  their 
home  stations  for  muster  out  of  the  Federal  Service. 
There  was  a  surplus  of  approximately  40,000  animals 
of  the  total  number  of  animals  on  hand,  the  least  desir- 


246       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

able  of  which  were  condemned  and  sold  and  the  re- 
maining surplus  issued  to  organizations  belonging  to 
the  first  increment  of  the  enlarged  regular  army,  and 
to  the  National  Guard  organizations  that  were  again 
called  into  the  service  to  guard  public  utilities. 

Prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  many  plans  had 
been  worked  out  for  the  procurement  of  remounts  and 
of  vehicles  and  harness,  to  be  used  in  the  event  of  hos- 
tilities, but  when  War  was  declared  it  was  found  that 
these  plans  were  obsolete,  due  to  the  magnitude  and 
extent  of  the  military  program.  Consequently  it  was 
necessary  to  decide  immediately  upon,  and  to  adopt  a 
plan  of  purchasing  animals,  wagons,  harness  and  other 
equipment  that  would  meet  the  demands  of  the  War 
Department,  and  safeguard  the  interests  of  the  Govern- 
ment. The  plan  at  the  same  time  was  to  be  based  on 
the  principle  that  no  individual,  firm  or  corporation 
should  be  permitted  to  make  more  than  a  reasonable 
profit  in  furnishing  equipment  and  animals  to  the 
Government.  The  system  of  purchasing  by  contract 
from  the  lowest  bidder  was  not  suitable  for  war  con- 
ditions as  it  lacked  the  necessary  flexibility  and  re- 
quired too  much  time  to  put  it  in  operation. 

METHOD    OF    PURCHASING    REMOUNTS    DURING    THE    WAR 
WITH   GERMANY 

In  the  summer  of  1917,  the  contract  method  of  buy- 
ing having  failed  to  produce  the  required  number  of 
animals,  the  Quartermaster  General,  in  a  memorandum 


KEMOUNT  DIVISION"  247 

to  the  Secretary  of  War  on  the  relative  merit  of  open 
market  purchases  and  purchase  by  contract  after  com- 
petitive bidding,  expressed  an  opinion  in  favor  of  the 
former  as  being  less  costly  and  more  flexible  than  the 
latter.  "We  shall  require,"  the  memorandum  set  forth, 
"approximately  180,000  horses  and  80,000  mules  for 
the  National  Guard  and  National  Army.  The  pu 
chases  are  to  commence  about  August  1st.  If  we  let 
contracts  for  supplying  these  animals,  under  the  law, 
we  cannot  reduce  or  increase  any  contract  more  than 
twenty  per  cent.  If  the  war  should  suddenly  come  to  a 
close,  the  Government  would  be  compelled  to  buy  mil- 
lions of  dollars'  worth  of  animals  it  would  not  need, 
or  it  would  be  compelled  to  annul  contracts  and  pay 
contractors  large  amounts  for  damages.  On  the  other 
hand,  by  purchasing  in  the  open  market  without  con- 
tract, the  Government  will  be  able  to  stop  buying  on 
short  notice.  If  great  losses  of  animals  should  occur 
in  war  (such  as  the  sinking  of  a  convoy  of  animal  trans- 
ports) ,  it  would  necessitate  quick  buying  of  larger  num- 
bers than  the  contractors  could  furnish,  and  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  must  either  buy  in  the  open  market,  or 
fail  to  meet  the  military  needs  of  the  Nation.  It  would 
take  too  long  to  advertise  and  let  new  contracts." 

The  method  of  open  market  purchases  suggested  by 
the  Quartermaster  General,  was  approved  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  July  8,  1917,  and  shortly  thereafter  in- 
structions were  sent  to  the  various  Remount  Zones  to 
buy  according  to  the  new  system.  The  Quartermaster 
General  furnished  the  Purchasing  Officer  in  each  of  the 


248       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

permanent  Remount  Depots  with  the  average  price  he 
was  authorized  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  pay  for  each 
class  of  animal,  which  price  he  was  not  allowed  to 
exceed.  '  The  Purchasing  Officer  was  also  allotted  a  cer- 
tain number  of  animals  of  each  class  to  be  purchased 
in  his  Zone  within  a  specified  time.  He  was  required  to 
report  to  the  Remount  Division,  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General,  each  day  by  wire,  the  number  of  each 
class  of  animals  shipped,  names  of  contractors  from 
whom  purchased,  and  the  organization  of  the  Army  and 
destination  to  which  shipped  during  the  preceding  day 
in  his  Zone.  ~No  paid  advertisement  was  authorized  in 
connection  with  this  method  of  purchase  in  the  open 
market.  A  form  of  agreement  with  dealers  and  con- 
tractors was  adopted  which  relieved  the  latter  of  certain 
onerous  provisions  of  the  old  contracts.  It  required  a 
bond  of  but  five  per  cent,  of  the  total  amount  of  the 
contract  where  more  than  100  animals  were  contracted 
for,  and  provided  for  retention  of  five  per  cent,  of  con- 
tract price  for  100  animals  or  less  until  fulfillment  of 
contract.  The  Government's  interests  were  further  pro* 
tected  by  reserving  the  right  to  terminate  inspection 
and  purchase  at  any  time,  or  on  termination  of  hostili- 
ties, on  ten  days'  notice  to  the  contractor.  These  pro- 
visions removed  some  of  the  main  objections  raised 
against  the  old  form  of  contract.  The  Government  op- 
tion to  suspend  purchases  was  twice  exercised  during 
the  year  1918. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1917,  buying  was 
conducted  on  a  large  scale  in  all  Remount  Zones  under 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  249 

the  open  market  method,  bids  being  accepted  without 
advertisement  from  reliable  contractors  and  dealers  lo- 
cated at  points  convenient  for  inspection  and  delivery, 
at  prices  fixed  by  the  Government.  Under  this  system, 
enterprising  dealers,  having  a  certain  market  at  known 
prices,  were  able  to  build  up  buying  and  collecting  or- 
ganizations which  brought  animals  rapidly  to  inspection 
points  and  assured  a  steady  flow  of  the  desired  types  to 
camps  and  auxiliary  remount  depots.  Delivery  was  re- 
quired to  be  made  within  fixed  periods,  usually  fifteen 
to  forty-five  days,  the  policy  being  to  give  comparatively 
small  buying  orders  to  be  executed  in  short  time,  fol- 
lowed by  new  orders,  so  as  to  keep  purchasing  organiza- 
tions, both  of  Government  and  dealers,  steadily  at  work. 
Contracts  were  eagerly  sought  for,  and  most  of  the  deal- 
ers were  able  to  carry  out  their  obligations  in  full. 

The  principal  States  in  which  animals  were  pur- 
chased were  Oklahoma,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Montana,  the 
Dakotas,  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Texas.  Contracts  were 
made  with  approximately  350  dealers  and  the  heaviest 
buying  was  done  in  the  Kansas  City  and  Fort  Reno 
Zones.  The  successful  operation  of  the  open  market 
contract  system  enabled  the  Remount  Division  to  keep 
pace  with  the  demands  of  the  rapidly  extending  mili- 
tary organization,  so  that  in  the  spring  of  1918  there 
was  a  surplus  of  animals  on  hand.  Purchasing  was 
then  suspended  and  all  contracts  cancelled. 

Inspection  of  animals  in  the  field  was  made  by 
Purchasing  Boards  constituted  in  accordance  with  reg- 
ulations of  the  Quartermaster  General,   comprising  a 


250       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

commissioned  purchasing  officer,  a  commissioned  veter- 
inary officer,  two  civilian  clerks,  and  a  messenger  for 
the  paper  work,  shipping  and  branding.  These  boards 
reported  daily  by  mail  and  telegraph  to  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  Zone  in  which  they  operated,  and  were  un- 
der constant  supervision  as  to  methods  of  inspection, 
sanitation  and  shipping.  Some  of  them  operated  at  sev- 
eral inspection  points,  others  in  a  single  locality.  As  a 
rule  boards  were  able  to  handle  the  animals  as  rapidly 
as  presented  for  inspection.  The  purchasing  officer  was 
held  responsible  for  final  acceptance  of  the  animal, 
while  the  veterinarian  was  accountable  for  the  animal's 
health  and  physical  soundness.  Prescribed  specifica- 
tions for  army  horses  and  mules  governed  in  the  selec- 
tion of  animals.  They  were  shipped  to  camps  in  charge 
of  an  authorized  civilian  attendant. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  it  was  realized  that  the 
fulfilment  of  the  Army  horse-drawn  vehicle  program 
would  necessitate  the  mobilization  of  the  entire  wagon 
industry  in  the  United  States.  A  consultation  was 
arranged  with  the  National  Wagon  Workers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
and  representatives  of  the  Quartermaster's  Corps,  at 
which  certain  manufacturers  agreed  to  take  over  the 
manufacture  and  delivery  of  the  required  supply  of 
Quartermaster  vehicles  and  harness  at  prices  mutually 
agreed  upon.  These  prices  were  those  furnished  by  the 
Depot  Quartermaster,  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  at  which 
depot  those  supplies  had  always  been  bought,  and  were 
the  average  prices  paid  to  contractors  for  supplying 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  251 

vehicles  and  harness  under  the  competitive  bidding 
system. 

The  wagon  industry  had  always  used  air-dried  lum- 
ber, which  required  a  long  period  for  seasoning  and 
drying.  The  entire  supply  of  such  lumber  was  soon 
used  up  and  it  beoame  necessary  to  arrange  immediately 
for  kiln-dried  lumber.  None  of  the  wagon  manufac- 
turer's plants  was  equipped  with  kilns  and  the  build- 
ing and  fitting  up  of  sufficient  kilns  to  dry  the  quantity 
of  lumber  required  was  a  very  serious  proposition.  It 
soon  developed  that  a  large  part  of  the  wood  stock  for 
this  large  number  of  vehicles  was  still  in  the  trees  of  the 
forest.  The  manufacturers  called  on  the  lumbermen, 
and  the  Remount  Division  arranged  a  plan  whereby  the 
wood  stock  would  be  obtained  and  delivered  to  the 
manufacturers,  the  Government  being  obligated  to  take 
over  such  wood  stock  as  might  not  be  used  in  case  the 
war  came  to  an  end  and  contracts  were  annuled. 

The  Government  entered  into  agreements  with  the 
wagon  manufacturers  to  defray  half  the  cost  of  all 
kilns  constructed,  and  to  pay  for  such  portion  of  the 
cost  at  the  rate  of  $10  per  wagon  produced,  or  $10  on 
each  $185  worth  of  spare  parts  fabricated  on  Govern- 
ment order. 

As  an  instance  of  the  spare  parts  situation  it  might 
be  mentioned  that  on  the  first  order  for  34,000  escort 
wagons,  the  spare  parts  required  amounted  to  about 
fifty  per  cent  of  the  total  order  for  wagons. 

During  the  war  there  was  developed  a  number  of 
new  types  of  wagons,  such  as  the  drinking-water  wagons 


252       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

and  carts,  medical  and  ration  carts,  combat  wagons, 
veterinary  ambulances,  sprinkler  wagons,  and  other 
vehicles  produced  in  smaller  quantities. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  entire  amount  of  kiln- 
dried  lumber  on  hand  was  consumed  in  the  first  few 
months  of  the  war  and  that  ordinarily  six  months  are 
required  for  proper  kiln-drying  before  the  log  is  ready 
for  fabrication,  vehicles  and  parts  were  supplied  on 
time  and  in  accordance  with  the  plans  outlined  by 
the  General  Staff. 

Purchases  of  all  classes  of  horse-drawn  vehicles  from 
April  6,  1917,  to  July  1,  1919,  approximate  190,000. 
No  orders  were  placed  after  November  11,  1918,  and 
all  orders  that  could  be  terminated  were  canceled  shortly 
after  the  signing  of  the  armistice.  Of  the  total  number 
ordered  approximately  117,000  were  completed.  The 
production  of  spare  parts  kept  pace  with  the  production 
of  vehicles. 

The  total  of  spare  parts  ordered  was  equivalent  to 
about  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  entire  number  of  completed 
vehicles  delivered. 

For  the  purchase  and  supply  of  harness  the  same 
method  was  followed  as  for  vehicles,  except  that  no 
national  association  of  harness  makers  assisted  in  dis- 
tributing the  work.  However,  the  leather  committee 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  gave  much  valuable 
assistance  in  numerous  instances  by  recommending 
methods  of  inspection,  advising  as  to  the  prices  that 
should  be  paid  for  leather  and  for  harness,  and  in 
securing  reliable  men  for  duty  in  inspecting  harness. 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  253 

The  harness  manufacturing'  business  was  hampered 
by  labor  troubles  due  to  the  fact  that  the  original 
contracts  did  not  contain  the  eight-hour  clause.  When 
it  became  necessary  to  add  a  supplementary  clause  to 
each  contract  providing  for  an  eight-hour  day  and  time 
and  a  half  for  overtime,  there  had  to  be  an  adjustment 
of  prices,  and  several  firms  surrendered  their  contracts. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  leather  business, 
like  all  other  industries,  found  itself  on  a  high  level  of 
prices,  due  to  the  very  large  amount  of  leather  and 
equipment  which  America  had  been  called  upon  to 
furnish  the  European  nations  already  at  war.  Hence, 
the  first  difficulty  was  to  establish  prices.  In  May, 
1917,  the  chairman  of  the  leather  equipment  committee 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  called  together  the 
tanners  and  agreed  with  them  upon  the  prices  for  all 
grades  of  equipment  leather  which  the  Government  ex- 
pected to  buy.  The  packers  were  next  called  together 
and  maximum  prices  on  hides  suitable  for  Army  leather 
were  agreed  upon  and  option  taken  on  750,000  hides 
then  in  their  hands. 

Generally  speaking,  no  action  was  taken  in  regard 
to  the  hide  or  leather  business  without  calling  together 
the  branch  of  the  trade  that  was  interested  and  coming 
to  an  agreement  with  them  on  the  quality  and  price. 
This  procedure  was  followed  during  the  entire  war. 
On  the  establishment  of  the  War  Industries  Board  and 
the  price  fixing  committee,  prices  were  regularly  fixed 
after  the  examination   of  the  books   and   accounts   of 


254       THE  QUAETEKMASTER  CORPS 

tanners  and  harness  manufacturers  by  the  Federal 
Trade  Commission. 

The  prices  of  leather  were  thus  established  very 
successfully  for  harness  leather  which  was  then  fixed 
at  sixty-six  cents,  was  advanced  only  four  cents  per 
pound  during  the  eighteen  months  that  we  were  at  war, 
and  russet  leather  fixed  at  $1.03  never  advanced  above 
$1.07  during  the  same  period. 

The  system  of  open  market  purchase  of  public  ani- 
mals previously  adverted  to  required  a  large  number 
of  experienced  officers  to  be  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Remount  Purchasing  Zones.  A  request  was  made  to 
the  War  Department  for  the  detail  of  fifty  of  the  best 
known  horsemen  of  the  Regular  Army  for  this  par- 
ticular duty,  but  only  sixteen  could  be  spared,  and 
these  sixteen  officers  were  permitted  to  serve  on  this 
duty  for  only  about  forty-five  days  when  their  services 
were  required  elsewhere.  While  these  officers  were  on 
this  duty,  thirty-two  Reserve  Corps  Officers  who  had 
already  been  commissioned  in  the  Quartermaster  Re- 
serve Corps  were  ordered  to  the  different  purchasing  of- 
fices and  placed  under  the  instruction  of  the  Regular 
Army  Officers  for  a  short  period  of  time  to  study  the 
type  of  animal  required  for  military  use  and  army 
methods  generally.  However,  only  a  relatively  small 
number  of  these  officers  proved  to  be  entirely  qualified  to 
buy  horses  and  mules. 

Thereupon,  the  Secretary  of  War,  on  June  27,  1917, 
authorized  the  appointment  from  civil  life  of  fifty  of 
the  most  distinguished  horsemen  and  gentlemen  riders 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  255 

in  the  country,  as  Captains  in  the  Quartermaster  Re- 
serve corps  for  duty  in  connection  with  the  inspection 
and  purchase  of  public  animals.  That  these  officers 
performed  the  duties  imposed  upon  them  in  a  remark- 
ably efficient  manner,  considering  their  entire  lack  of 
military  experience  and  army  methods  generally,  is 
shown  by  the  large  number  of  excellent  animals  which 
were  purchased  by  them  as  heads  of  purchasing  boards, 
and  by  the  fact  that  when  purchasing  ceased,  many  of 
these  officers  were  very  successful  as  Commanding  Of- 
ficers of  Auxiliary  Remount  Depots. 

Experience  on  the  Mexican  Border  and  in  the 
Southern  Department  in  19 1G  demonstrated  the  neces- 
sity for  conditioning  animals  after  purchase,  before 
issue  to  troops.  It  was  estimated  that  over  ninety  per 
cent,  of  all  animals  purchased  contracted  shipping  fever 
and  influenza  at  the  stock  yards  and  at  stock  pens  where 
they  were  unloaded  for  feeding  and  watering,  when  be- 
ing shipped  from  point  of  purchase  to  destination. 
When  shipped  direct  to  organizations,  a  considerable 
number  died  from  influenza  or  other  diseases  such  as 
pneumonia  and  purpura,  resulting  from  the  attack  of 
influenza. 

To  provide,  therefore,  a  flexible  organization  for  sup- 
plying serviceable  horses  and  mules  for  the  army;  to 
properly  care  for  and  condition  animals  prior  to  their 
issue  to  troops  and  to  receive  animals  purchased  and 
shipped  by  purchasing  boards,  it  became  necessary  to 
organize  and  establish  an  Auxiliary  Remount  Depot  at 
each  division  camp  and  cantonment  of  the  National 


256       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Guard  and  National  Army  of  the  United  States,  as  well 
as  an  Animal  Embarkation  Depot  at  Newport  News, 
Va.,  and  one  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  These 
were  to  be  used  as  Ports  of  Embarkation  from  which 
animals  could  be  shipped  overseas,  and  Field  Remount 
Squadrons  for  duty  on  the  lines  of  communication  and 
in  the  theaters  of  operations. 

Authority  for  and  the  establishment  and  organization 
of  auxiliary  remount  depots  having  a  capacity  of  5,000 
animals,  was  granted  by  the  Secretary  of  War  May  26, 
1917,  the  authority  being  published  in  the  Army  in 
General  Orders  No.  105,  War  Department,  August  13, 
1917.  These  instructions  were  subsequently  rescinded 
and  General  Orders  No.  131,  War  Department,  Oc- 
tober 5,  1917,  were  substituted.  Section  2  of  this  order 
established  the  Remount  Service  as  a  separate  National 
Army  Organization,  provided  for  the  organization  of 
thirty-three  auxiliary  remount  depots  and  an  animal 
embarkation  depot,  and  the  necessary  field  remount 
depots,  later  called  field  remount  squadrons,  for  duty 
on  the  lines  of  communication  and  in  the  theaters  of 
operations.  The  location  of  the  various  Auxiliary  Re- 
mount and  Animal  Embarkation  Depots  were  as 
follows : 

Camp     Beauregard,     Alexan-  Camp  Devens,  Ayer,  Mass. 

dria,  La.  Camp  Dix,  Wrightstown, 

Camp    Bowie,    Fort    Worth,  N.J. 

Texas.  Camp    Dodge,    Des    Moines, 

Camp  Cody,  Deming,  N.  Mex.  Iowa. 

Camp    Custer,    Battle    Creek,  Camp    Doniphan,    Fort    Sill, 

Mich.  Okla. 


REMOUNT  DIVISION 


257 


Camp    Fremont,    Palo    Alto, 

Calif. 
Camp  Funston,  Kansas. 
Camp  Gordon,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
Camp  Grant,  Rockford,  111. 
Camp  Green,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 
Camp  Hancock,  Augusta,  Ga. 
Camp  Jackson,  Columbia,  S.  C. 
Camp  Johnston,  Jacksonville, 

Fla. 
Camp  Kearney,  Linda  Vista, 

Calif. 
Camp  Lee,  Petersburg,  Va. 
Camp  Lewis,  American  Lake, 

Washington. 
Camp  Logan,  Houston,  Texas. 
Camp  MacArthur,  Waco, 

Texas. 
Camp     McClellan,     Anniston, 

Ala. 


Camp  Meade,  Admiral,  Md. 

Camp  Pike,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

Camp  Sevier,  Greenville, 
S.  C. 

Camp  Shelby,  Hattiesburg, 
Miss. 

Camp  Sheridan,  Montgomery, 
Ala. 

Camp  Sherman,  Chillicothe, 
Ohio. 

Camp  Taylor,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Camp  Travis,  Ft.  Sam  Hous- 
ton, Texas. 

Camp  Upton,  Yaphank,  L.  I., 
N.  Y. 

Camp  Wadsworth,  Spartan- 
burg, S.  C. 

Camp  Wheeler,   Centaur,   Ga. 

Newport  News,  Va. 

Charleston,  S.  C. 


Regulations  governing  the  organization,  administra- 
tion and  equipment  of  auxiliary  remount  and  animal 
embarkation  depots  and  field  remount  depots  were  pub- 
lished for  the  information  of  all  concerned,  in  Special 
Regulations  ISTo.  66,  War  Department,  1917. 

The  auxiliary  remount  depots  and  animal  embarka- 
tion depots  in  the  United  States  were  placed  under  the 
authority  of  the  Quartermaster  General  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  their  operation,  with  the  exception  that 
the  Commanding  General  of  each  Camp,  Cantonment, 
or  Port  of  Embarkation  exercised  the  same  authority 
that  a  department  commander  exercises  under  Army 
Regulations  over  the  posts  in  his  department  in  matters 
pertaining  to  sanitation,  discipline  and  general  court- 
martial  jurisdiction. 


258       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

There  were  established  at  each  auxiliary  remount  de- 
pot and  animal  embarkation  depot  schools  for  horse- 
shoers,  teamsters,  packers,  saddlers,  and  stable  ser- 
geants. These  schools  were  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Commanding  Officer  and  the  course  of  instruction 
for  horseshoers  covered  a  period  of  four  months  and 
for  packers  and  teamsters  a  period  of  two  months.  The 
enlisted  students  for  these  schools  were  detailed  from 
the  line  or  Quartermaster  Corps,  and  upon  graduation 
were  furnished  certificates  of  proficiency  for  that  par- 
ticular course  of  instruction. 

As  the  war  progressed,  the  commissioned,  enlisted 
and  civilian  personnel  of  the  Remount  Division  and  the 
Remount  Service,  increased  rapidly  until  at  the  time 
of  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  there  were  on  duty  in 
the  Remount  Division,  seven  officers,  and  thirty-eight 
civilian  clerks,  and  in  the  Remount  Service  at  large 
in  the  United  States,  approximately  400  officers  and 
19,000  enlisted  men. 

All  domestic  shipments  of  animals  were  made  in , 
strict  compliance  with  the  twenty-eight  hour  release 
for  feed  and  water  as  required  by  law,  and  arrange- 
ments made  with  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  to 
place  representatives  at  various  feed  and  rest  stations 
throughout  the  country  to  inspect  and  place  all  stock 
pens  and  yards  where  public  animals  would  be  fed  and 
watered  in  a  sanitary  condition. 

There  was  a  total  of  300,802  animals  purchased  in 
the  United  States  from  the  beginning  of  the  War;  all 
of  which  had  to  be  transported  from  point  of  purchase 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  259 

to  a  Remount  Depot,  and  in  most  instances  again 
shipped  to  ports  of  embarkation  or  to  a  Remount  Depot 
near  the  Atlantic  Coast  so  that  they  could  be  readily 
available  for  shipment  overseas  when  called  for.  In 
many  cases  these  animals  were  shipped  over  very  long 
distances,  i.  e., 

2,073  miles  Camp  Lewis  to  Camp  Dodge 
1,940  miles  Camp  Kearny  to  Camp  Pike 
1,918  miles  Camp  Fremont  to  Camp  Funston 

Out  of  all  shipments  made  in  the  United  States,  there 
was  a  total  loss  of  horses  and  mules  from  all  causes 
including  wrecks  and  natural  death  of  approximately 
425  animals,  or  .0014  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of 
animals  shipped.  This  percentage  would  be  still  fur- 
ther reduced  if  it  is  considered  that  all  animals  were 
reshipped  at  least  once. 


TRAINING   ACTIVITIES 

Commissioned  Personnel 

As  the  war  progressed  it  became  increasingly  difficult 
for  the  Remount  Service  to  meet  the  demands  made 
upon  it  for  officers,  due  to  the  establishment  of  the 
Auxiliary  Remount  Depots  and  the  Animal  Embarka- 
tion Depots  intended  for  the  care  and  conditioning  of 
public  animals  prior  to  their  issue  to  troops  or  ship- 
ment overseas,  each  of  which  required  five  officers,  and 
due  also  to  the  organization  of  a  number  of  overseas 


260       THE  QUAKTEKMASTEK  COKPS 

units.  The  available  supply  of  expert  horsemen  of 
the  country  who  had  volunteered  their  services  soon 
became  exhausted  and  the  demands  of  the  other  Bureaus 
of  the  War  Department  and  arms  of  service  rendered 
it  more  difficult  to  obtain  suitable  officers  who  might 
be  willing  to  transfer  to  the  Remount  Service.  Of 
course,  by  far  the  greatest  number  of  officers  of  that 
service  was  obtained  from  the  trained  non-commissioned 
officers  serving  at  our  Remount  Depots,  so  that  when 
the  armistice  was  proclaimed,  between  three  and  four 
hundred  non-commissioned  officers  had  been  commis- 
sioned and  were  then  serving  either  at  the  Auxiliary 
Remount  Depots,  and  the  Animal  Embarkation  De- 
pots, or  were  on  duty  with  overseas  unit  of  the  Remount 
Service  in  training  in  the  United  States  or  already  in 
France. 

It  soon  became  apparent,  however,  that  if  the  Re- 
mount Service  should  be  able  to  function  properly  and 
to  fill  with  reasonable  promptness  the  numerous  de- 
mands made  upon  it  for  Commissioned  Personnel,  some 
effective  steps  must  be  taken  without  delay  to  obtain 
such  personnel  from  the  country  at  large.  To  that 
end,  special  authority  was  obtained  from  the  Secretary 
of  War  to  organize  Remount  Service  Officers  Training 
Camps.  Under  this  special  authority,  suitable  candi- 
dates above  the  current  draft  ages,  or  men  of  draft 
ages  who  were  disqualified  for  service  with  a  combatant 
arm  due  to  physical  inability,  were  selected  for  a  three 
months'  course  of  training.  They  were  actually  enlisted 
for  the  period  of  training  only,  and  were  then  com- 


REMOUNT  DIVISION  261 

missioned  if  they  passed  through  the  Training  Camp 
satisfactorily,  or,  if  they  failed  to  pass  through  satis- 
factorily, were  discharged.  Three  such  Training  Camps 
were  held  during  the  War.  The  first  camp  at  the  Aux- 
iliary Remount  Depot,  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
Jacksonville,  Florida,  beginning  May  10,  1918,  gradu- 
ated forty-two  men.  The  second  Camp  at  the  same 
Depot  beginning  September  2,  1918,  graduated  seventy- 
three  men.  Another  Training  Camp  was  also  held  at 
the  Auxiliary  Remount  Depot,  Camp  Shelby,  Hatties- 
burg,  Mississippi,  graduating  thirty-two  men. 

OVERSEAS   UNITS 

The  mobilization  camp  for  the  organization  and 
training  of  the  Field  Remount  Squadrons  for  overseas 
service  was  established  at  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
Florida,  where  the  original  intention  was  to  organize 
these  units  in  connection  with  the  organization  of  all 
other  miscellaneous  Quartermaster  Corps  Organiza- 
tions at  that  Camp. 

The  units  to  be  organized  and  sent  overseas  were  first 
designated  as  Field  Remount  Depots,  which  were  or- 
ganized under  the  Tables  of  Organization  for  such  a 
unit,  as  prescribed  in  Special  Regulations  No.  66,  which 
also  provided  for  the  organization  of  Auxiliary  Remount 
Depots  and  Animal  Embarkation  Depots  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  found,  however,  that  on  account  of  the 
difference  in  the  requirements  of  Remount  Depots  in 
France,  that  the  organization,  as  contemplated,  was  not 


262       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

sufficiently  flexible.  Accordingly,  a  smaller  unit  desig- 
nated as  the  Field  Remount  Squadron,  consisting  of  six 
officers  and  157  enlisted  men,  was  authorized  so  that 
there  could  be  assembled  at  any  depot  as  many  units  as 
were  necessary,  according  to  the  number  of  animals  to 
be  cared  for,  on  a  basis  of  one  Field  Remount  Squadron 
for  every  replacement  of  400  animals. 

The  complete  personnel  of  one  Field  Remount  Squad- 
ron consisted  of  four  Quartermaster  Corps  Officers,  one 
Medical  Officer,  one  Veterinary  Officer,  150  Quarter- 
master Corps,  four  Medical  Corps,  and  three  Veterinary 
Corps  enlisted  men.  Each  squadron  was  completely 
equipped  according  to  Table  of  Fundamental  Allow- 
ances, and  additional  equipment  specially  authorized  to 
provide  for  an  independent  mobile  mounted  remount 
unit. 

The  first  four  Remount  Units  organized  at  Camp 
Joseph  E.  Johnston  were  designated  as  Field  Remount 
Depots,  JSTos.  301,  to  304  inclusive,  and  were  organized 
under  Tables  of  Organization,  provided  for  such  a  unit. 
These  were  later  changed  to  Field  Remount  Squadrons 
ISTos.  301  to  304  inclusive,  and  were  kept  in  training 
for  a  period  of  three  months  before  being  sent  overseas. 

In  order  to  shorten  the  necessary  period  of  training 
and  to  provide  a  nucleus  of  trained  men,  the  Remount 
Division  directed  the  transfer  of  privates  with  quali- 
fications for  non-commissioned  officers,  from  the  various 
Auxiliary  Remount  Depots  to  Camp  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston, for  subsequent  assignment  to  Field  Remount 
Squadrons.     These  men  were  given  a  special  course  of 


REMOUNT  DIVISION"  263 

instruction  for  non-commissioned  officers  under  experi- 
enced officers,  and  rapidly  developed  into  excellent  non- 
commissioned officers.  Such  as  were  found  not  qualified 
to  perform  these  duties  were  eliminated. 

In  the  beginning,  officers  were  assigned  to  Field  Re- 
mount Squadrons  from  the  Office  of  the  Division  in 
Washington,  but  as  more  officers  became  available,  they 
were  ordered  to  Auxiliary  Remount  Depot  No.  333, 
Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  for  assignment  to  squad- 
rons by  the  Commanding  Officer  of  the  camp.  These 
officers  were  also  given  a  course  of  instruction  under 
an  experienced  officer  and  were  selected  for  assignment 
to  squadrons  as  these  were  organized,  in  accordance 
with  their  progress  and  experience.  Each  squadron  was 
thus  provided  with  a  well-balanced,  properly  instructed 
commissioned  personnel. 

This  method  of  assignment  and  selection  of  officers 
and  non-commissioned  officers  for  squadrons  was  highly 
satisfactory.  In  case  officers  did  not  develop  sufficiently 
to  perform  the  duties  which  were  to  be  required  of 
them,  orders  for  their  transfer  were  requested  and  they 
were  assigned  duties  which  they  were  capable  of  per- 
forming. Fortunately,  and  to  the  credit  of  the  Re- 
mount Service,  such  action  was  necessary  in  but  few 
instances.  The  more  backward  and  inexperienced  of- 
ficers, however,  were  held  for  a  longer  period  of  in- 
struction, and  the  policy  of  selecting  first,  for  squadrons 
to  be  sent  overseas,  officers  most  qualified,  acted  as  a 
great  stimulus  in  their  training. 

The  men  received  on  requisition  from  the  draft,  and 


264       THE  QUAETEKMASTER  COEPS 

by  transfer  from  Auxiliary  Remount  Depots,  were,  on 
the  whole,  of  a  very  desirable  type ;  many  of  them  com- 
ing from  agricultural  sections  and  from  the  western 
States  where  they  had  been  accustomed  to  handling 
stock. 

During  the  training  period  the  organization,  training, 
and  equipping  of  squadrons  and  other  overseas  units 
was  under  the  direct  supervision  of  a  specially  selected 
officer,  and  the  general  policy  was  to  place  every  re- 
sponsibility on  the  squadron  commander  for  everything 
pertaining  to  his  organization,  at  the  same  time  afford- 
ing him  all  necessary  instruction  and  assistance.  This 
resulted  in  developing  the  independence  of  each  or- 
ganization and  the  ability  to  meet  all  demands  under 
all  conditions. 

In  connection  with  the  training  of  the  squadrons  in 
general,  special  provision  was  also  made  for  the  train- 
ing of  the  enlisted  specialists  necessary  for  each  unit. 
Horseshoers'  classes  were  maintained  from  unassigned 
privates  carried  as  a  Casual  Detachment  pertaining  to 
Auxiliary  Remount  Depot  No.  333,  Camp  Joseph  E. 
Johnston.  Upon  completion  of  their  special  training 
they  were  assigned  as  squadron  horseshoers.  An  in- 
structor from  the  school  of  bakers  and  cooks  at  the 
main  camp  was  detailed  for  duty  with  the  Remount 
Squadrons.  He  instructed  cooks  and  mess  sergeants 
in  their  duties  and  had  general  supervision  over  aH 
the  messes,  under  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  Field  Re- 
mount  Squadrons.      Saddlers  were  given   instructions 


BEMOUNT  DIVISION  265 

prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Saddlers'  School, 
farriers  were  trained  under  the  supervision  of  Veter- 
inary Officers  at  the  Veterinary  Hospital,  and  teamsters 
were  given  instructions  at  the  Teamsters'  School.  A 
special  class  for  squadron  clerks  was  instituted  and  all 
officers  and  specially  selected  non-commissioned  officers 
attended  conferences  every  evening.  Troops  were  in- 
structed in  everything  applicable  to  their  duties  and  in 
drill  and  other  subjects,  in  order  to  attain  discipline 
and  maintain  a  standard  equal  to  that  of  a  line  or- 
ganization. 

BREEDING 

After  the  war  started  in  1914,  large  numbers  of 
animals  were  purchased  in  this  country  and  shipped  to 
Europe  for  war  purposes.  When  the  United  States  en- 
tered the  war,  and  proceeded  to  purchase  animals  for 
war  work,  it  very  soon  became  evident  to  the  purchasing 
officers  that  animals  suited  for  cavalry  and  riding  pur- 
poses were  none  too  plentiful  and  also  that  animals 
suitable  for  draft  purposes  could  be  obtained  with  little 
difficulty  in  sufficient  numbers. 

As  time  went  on,  it  was  noticed  that  the  officers  pur- 
chased fewer  good  type  cavalry  horses  and  accepted 
many  narrow-chested,  weak-loined,  light-boned  animals 
that  showed  very  little  quality  and  lacked  the  essential 
breeding  and  conformation  so  important  in  the  cavalry 
horse.  These  conditions  not  only  demonstrated  the 
fact  that  suitable  cavalry  horses  were  scarce  throughout 


266       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  country,  but  that  future  requirements  could  not  be 
met  unless  prompt  and  efficient  measures  were  adopted 
to  encourage  the  breeding  of  the  riding  horse.  In  cer- 
tain sections  of  the  country  where  racing,  hunting,  and 
horse  shows  were  kept  up  a  better  type  of  riding  horse 
was  found. 

The  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  had  encouraged  the 
breeding  of  good  riding  horses  by  placing  approved  stal- 
lions at  various  parts  of  the  country  for  the  use  of 
breeders,  but  this  work  had  been  conducted  on  such  a 
small  scale  that  only  about  700  colts,  the  offspring  of 
sires  placed  by  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  were 
offered  for  sale  to  the  Government  that  year.  After 
consultation  with  the  representative  of  the  Bureau  of 
Animal  Industry,  the  Remount  Division  obtained  au- 
thority to  establish  at  Fort  Reno,  Fort  Keogh  and  Front 
Royal  small  breeding  organizations  where  a  few  mares 
could  be  kept  for  breeding  purposes  with  the  object  of 
producing  a  suitable  type  of  cavalry  horse.  Authority 
was  also  obtained  to  accept  such  stallions  as  might  be 
presented  to  the  Government  and  to  purchase  others. 

The  prime  object  of  the  War  Department  and  the 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  in  this  work  was  to  pro- 
duce the  type  of  animal  desired  for  cavalry  work  and 
to  encourage  and  assist  the  farmer  and  breeder  in  pro- 
ducing this  type  in  sufficient  numbers  to  supply  the 
needs  of  the  Government. 

The  following  table  shows  the  list  of  the  principal 
vehicles  and  harness  items  contracted  for,  total  deliv- 
eries made,  unit  money  value  of  each,  and  the  total 


REMOUNT  DIVISION 


267 


money  value  of  the  items  contracted  for  June  30,  1917, 
to  June  30,  1918 : 


Number 
contracted 
Items  for 

Combat  wagons    15,500 

Escort  wagons   91,728 

Water  carts    13,500 

Ration  carts   12,000 

Medical  carts   2,500 

Ambulances     3,500 

Aparejos    40,250 

Halters     1,500,000 


The  purchases  are  given  to  include  June  30,  1918, 
for  the  reason  that  the  contracts  for  same  were  made  in 
1917  as  above  stated. 


PURCHASE    OF    HORSES    AND    MULES 


Unit 

money 

Total 

Number 

value 

value 

delivered 

of  each  i 

af  contracts 

7,000 

$525.00 

$8,137,500 

30,000 

210.00 

19,262,880 

13,000 

275.00 

3,712,500 

7,000 

125.00 

1,500,000 

2,500 

150.00 

375,000 

3,500 

350.00 

1,225,000 

3,000 

80.00 

3,220,000 

,300,000 

3.00 

4,500,000 

Average   Price  Paid   in   the  United   States  and   France 

HORSES  MULES 

Pack 
Light       Heavy  and 

Cavalry  Artillerv  Artillery    Young     Wheel      Riding      Lead 
In   United    States..    $161.71   $188.21   $221.95  $142.59  $228.86  $184.24  $189.38 

In    France 267.54     295.71     377.38         309.33     254.35     308.33 

In      United      States 

and    France 178.23     207.07     339.48         230.15     207.00     189.38 

The  number  of  animals  purchased  is  given  in  the 
accompanying  table,  to  include  June  30,  1918,  as  in 
order  to  secure  transportation  to  carry  the  troops  to 
France  in  the  spring  of  1918,  the  shipment  of  animals 
was  discontinued  in  March,  1918,  and  orders  to  dis- 
continue purchases  then  given. 


268        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 


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REMOUNT  DIVISION  269 

Losses  from  April  6,   1917,  to  June  30,   1918 

HORSES  MULES 
Light     Heavy 

Cavalry        Artillery  Wheel  Lead  Pack  Total 
Condemned  and 

sold    4,991       1,232     243  516  297  322  7,601 

Destroyed    1,090       1,256       50  374  303  67  3,140 

Died    4,795     10,919     908  1,342  1,156  188  19,308 

Other  causes  ...  .       189          211      ...  96  115  16  627 

Lost   in   France 4,625      349  ...  4,974 


Criticism  has  been  made  of  the  purchase  of  1,300,000 
halters  for  a  total  of  about  270,000  animals.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  character  of  the  war  in  France 
developed  along  such  lines  that  cavalry  was  not  used 
to  the  extent  anticipated  when  the  original  plans  were 
made,  nor  was  it  anticipated  that  the  shipment  of  ani- 
mals abroad  would  be  entirely  discontinued,  or  that 
war  could  possibly  be  terminated  by  November  11, 
1918. 

In  October,  1917,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  prices 
paid  for  animals  of  the  same  type  by  the  allies  and 
ourselves  were  different.  A  conference  was  called  in 
the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  and  was  at- 
tended by  the  following:  representing  the  British  Army, 
General  Gunning,  Chief  of  Remounts,  Colonel  Bate  and 
Captain  Brydges;  of  the  French  Army,  Colonel  Couste 
and  Captain  Reinach-Wertib ;  the  Italian  Army,  Colonel 
Hinoldi ;  Messrs.  Gifford  and  Preston  Davis  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense;  Colonel  John  S.  Fair, 
Chief  of  the  Remount  Division,  Lieutenant  Colonel  R. 
H.  Williams,  Jr.,  and  Major  Hayden  Channing  of  our 
Remount  Service. 


270       THE  QUAETEEMASTEE  COEPS 

As  a  result  of  this  meeting  Colonel  Bate,  of  the 
British  Army,  and  Captain  Reinach-Werth  of  the 
French  Army,  were  attached  to  the  Chief  of  Eemounts 
as  liaison  officers.  Both  these  officers  were  of  great  as- 
sistance as  they  had  had  considerable  experience. 

Colonel  John  S.  Fair  organized  the  Eemount  Di- 
vision and  the  Eemount  Service  and  deserves  credit 
for  the  excellent  results  obtained  and  the  efficient  or- 
ganization created.  He  was  ably  assisted  by  Colonel 
Matt  C.  Bristol,  Lieutenant  Colonel  E.  H.  Williams, 
Jr.,  Major  Hayden  Channing  and  to  Majors  W.  W. 
West  and  A.  A.  Cederwald,  Colonels  Winterburn,  Val- 
entine and  Munro  had  charge  of  the  western  purchasing 
zones,  and  handled  the  work  there  in  an  able  and  effi- 
cient manner.  Great  credit  is  due  to  the  work  per- 
formed at  the  school  for  the  squadrons  organized  at 
Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Jacksonville,  Florida,  for 
the  reports  of  the  organizations  sent  to  France  from  that 
school  were  most  favorable. 

It  is  regretted  that  records  are  not  available  to  cite 
the  work  done  by  the  other  members  of  the  Eemount 
Service.  The  excellence  of  the  work  done  by  that 
Service  was  recognized,  and  the  members  of  it  have 
reason  to  feel  a  commendable  pride  in  the  accomplish- 
ments to  which  they  so  materially  contributed. 


VII 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION 

Duties  assigned  to  Warehousing  Division — Two  classes  of  Quarter- 
master Depots — Storage  Depot  at  Boston — Functions  of  the 
six  branches  of  Warehousing  Division. 

One  of  the  duties  imposed  by  law  upon  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  was  that  of  constructing  or  renting 
such  buildings  as  were  required  for  the  Army.  Early  in 
the  war  the  legislation  then  enacted  allowed  other  Sup- 
ply Departments  to  undertake  construction  or  to  lease 
such  buildings  as  they  required.  Several  of  them  estab- 
lished a  constructing  force  in  their  own  departments, 
and  thus  provided  for  their  own  requirements  either 
by  new  construction  or  by  leases. 

So  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  policy  of 
centralization  which  had  previously  been  established  for 
many  years,  as  far  as  relates  to  construction  was 
changed,  and  a  policy  of  decentralization  adopted  in- 
stead. It  is  a  fact  that  the  Ordnance  Department  was 
allowed  by  law  to  undertake  such  construction  as  was 
authorized  from  time  to  time  at  the  arsenals.  But  the 
general  policy  as  regards  construction  had  been  that  of 
centralizing  such  work  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 
The  General  Depots  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  were 
located  at  various  places  throughout  the  country,  and 

271 


272       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

at  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  officers  in  command  of 
these  Depots  were  authorized  to  provide  such  additional 
storage  space  as  would  be  needed  at  their  depots,  either 
by  having  temporary  structures  erected  or  by  leasing 
any  available  buildings.  In  some  instances,  it  was 
necessary  to  lease  buildings  when  the  cost  of  construc- 
tion exceeded  the  amount  which  the  law  placed  as  a 
limit. 

On  August  15,  1917,  by  Office  Order  No.  76,  a  Stor- 
age Branch  was  created  in  the  Supplies  Division  of 
the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

As  the  necessity  arose  of  more  fully  coordinating  the 
work  of  the  depots  and  to  exercise  a  greater  supervision 
over  them,  by  Office  Order  No.  116,  dated  October  16, 
1917,  the  Warehousing  Division  was  created,  and  the 
Storage  Branch  of  the  Supplies  Division  and  also  the 
Cable  Service  and  Overseas  Shipment  Branch  of  the 
Administration  Division  were  merged  into  it,  By 
Office  Order  No.  116,  of  November  8,  1917,  the  duties 
assigned  to  the  Warehousing  Division  were  defined,  as 
follows : 

"1.  To  ascertain  the  storage  needs  of  the  Quarter- 
master Corps,  and  in  cooperation  with  Depot  Quarter- 
masters, to  provide  and  administer  all  storage  and  ware- 
housing facilities  and  operations  incident  thereto. 

"2.  To  standardize  and  supervise  the  physical  lay- 
out and  administrative  organization  of  depots  and  to 
coordinate  the  services  of  the  several  depots. 

"3.  To  maintain  a  statistics  branch  which  shall  re- 
ceive, calculate  and  chart  in  accordance  with  scientific 
statistical  methods,   all  significant  data  pertaining  to 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  273 

amount  of  supplies  needed,  contracted  for,  in  process 
of  delivery,  on  hand,  issued,  etc. 

"4.  To  handle  all  cablegrams  and  requisitions  re- 
ceived from  the  Commanding  General,  Expeditionary 
Forces  in  Europe." 

In  order  to  accomplish  the  above  designated  func- 
tions, it  was  enjoined  that: 

The  Warehousing  Division  will  have  authority  in 
matters  pertaining  to  the  location,  design  and  equipment 
of  depots,  the  apportionment  and  distribution  of  sup- 
plies prior  to  their  delivery  to  depots. 

The  Warehousing  Division  shall  make  a  careful 
study  of  warehousing  methods  and  organization,  and 
of  existing  practices  of  Quartermaster  Depots,  with  a 
view  to  a  coordination  and  improvement  of  such  depots, 
and  shall  install  such  statistical  methods  and  devices  as 
may  be  deemed  necessary. 

The  Warehousing  Division  will  prepare  statements  of 
amounts  of  supplies  needed,  giving  the  rate  at  which 
delivery  should  be  required.  It  will  maintain  a  statis- 
tical branch  which  shall  obtain  all  data  regarding  the 
quantity  of  supplies  ordered,  delivered,  issued  and  re- 
maining on  hand. 

All  statistical  data  pertaining  to  the  above  now  being 
kept  in  other  branches  or  divisions  of  this  office  will  be 
transferred  to  the  Warehousing  Division  together  with 
the  personnel  used  exclusively  for  tabulating  such  data, 
time  for  this  transfer  to  be  arranged  between  divisions 
concerned. 

The   Warehousing   Division   will    furnish    such    ex- 


274       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

tracts  of  data  compiled  as  may  be  required  by  other 
divisions  and  branches  of  this  office. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  there  were  two  classes 
of  Quartermaster  Depots: 

1.  The  General  Depots  of  the  Corps,  as  those  at 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  etc.  Such  Depots  carried  a 
certain  quantity  of  supplies,  and  received  and  shipped 
these  to  the  various  posts.  The  personnel  was  well 
trained  in  the  work,  and  was  fairly  adequate  to  insure 
efficiency  and  dispatch  in  executing  the  work  at  the 
Depots.  In  the  preceding  month  of  March  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Quartermaster  General  and  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Secretary  of  War,  certain  expert  and  ex- 
perienced business  men  had  been  designated  by  the 
President  of  the  National  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
the  officials  of  the  New  York  Merchants'  Association, 
as  members  of  a  Committee  to  act  in  an  advisory  ca- 
pacity to  the  Depot  Quartermasters.  Mr.  E.  D.  Page 
was  chairman  of  the  Advisory  Committee  for  the  New 
York  Depot.  This  Committee,  on  its  own  initiative 
and  expense  engaged  the  services  of  an  expert  business 
engineer  and  accountant  to  examine  the  methods  of 
organization  and  administration  of  the  Depot,  the 
forms  in  use  for  transacting  the  business,  and  the  gen- 
eral arrangement  of  the  Depot  to  insure  the  efficient 
handling  and  prompt  dispatch  of  the  supplies. 

The  expert's  report  approved  of  the  organization  and 
methods  of  administration.  Five  years  previously  a 
firm  of  business  engineers  and  accountants  had  for 
nearly  one  year  been  engaged  to  study  the  methods  of 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  275 

the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  suggest  plans  for  im- 
provements. It  may  be  stated  that  the  other  General 
Depots  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  were  organized  and 
administered  in  the  same  manner  as  the  New  York 
Depot. 

Boards  of  Officers  and  Committees  of  Experts  on 
the  business  methods  of  the  War  Department  had  recom- 
mended and  the  instructions  of  Secretaries  of  War  in 
the  past  had  directed  a  reduction  in  the  number  of 
blank  forms,  so  it  was  not  possible  to  have  the  forms  used 
at  Depots  printed  and  supplied  by  the  War  Department. 
Each  Depot  had  authority  to  have  the  necessary  fomis 
printed.  The  forms  used  at  each  Depot  were  com- 
pared and  effort  made  to  standardize  them  as  much  as 
the  local  conditions  made  possible.  For  instance,  a 
form  used  at  the  New  York  Depot  which  pertained  to 
clothing  made  under  contract  was  not  suitable  for  use 
at  the  Jeffersonville  Depot  where  the  clothing  was  made 
by  sewing  women. 

The  regulations  prescribing  the  organization  and 
methods  of  administration  of  Depots  are  contained  in 
the  Quartermaster's  Corps  Manual.  This  is  a  compila- 
tion in  two  volumes,  of  the  combined  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience of  all  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Army,  who  for 
nearly  150  years  have  contributed  to  and  participated 
in  the  work  of  the  Corps.  It  was  prepared  by  a  Board 
of  Officers  composed  of  Colonel  Frank  L.  Armstrong, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Thomas  L.  Smith  and  Major  Ezra 
Davis;  recognized  by  all  who  were  brought  in  contact 
with  them  as  eminently  qualified  and  thoroughly  com- 


276       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

petent  to  perform  the  work.  Several  of  the  civilians 
who  contributed  so  ably  to  assist  in  carrying  on  the 
work  of  the  war,  have  handsomely  expressed  their  ap- 
preciation of  the  assistance  received  by  them  from  the 
individual  members  of  that  Board,  stating  that  with- 
out that  assistance  they,  those  civilians,  would  probably 
not  have  been  able  to  carry  through  the  work. 

That  Board  also  prepared  a  Table  of  Allowances  foi; 
the  Army,  which  Table  it  is  very  doubtful  that  any  one, 
or  all,  of  the  experts  called  into  the  service  could  have 
prepared,  as  they  were  lacking  the  background  and  the 
experience  necessary  in  its  preparation.  These  state- 
ments are  made  merely  to  indicate  that  the  criticism 
made  that  there  were  no  regulations  prescribing  the 
methods  of  administration  of  the  Depots  or  stating  that 
nothing  had  been  prepared  in  the  army  showing  the  re- 
quirements was  not  justified  by  the  facts,  and  did  not 
indicate  a  familiarity  with  those  two  publications.  The 
civilian  who  advised  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
to  throw  away  their  copies  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
Manual  undoubtedly  was  aware  of  its  existence,  but 
surely  was  not  familiar  with  its  contents. 

A  statement  had  been  made  that  freight  cars  were 
being  held  to  store  army  supplies,  and  at  once  an  in- 
vestigation was  made  to  ascertain  if  this  referred  to 
Quartermaster  Corps  property.  The  investigation  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  the  cars  containing  such  property 
were  promptly  unloaded  upon  receipt.  In  one  case 
about  thirty-three  cars  were  held  for  three  or  four  days, 
over  Sunday,  by  the  Depot  Quartermaster  at  New  York. 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  277 

That  was  the  only  instance,  and  while,  because  of  the 
urgency  of  other  work,  there  might  have  been  some  jus- 
tification, instructions  were  given  to  prevent  a  recur- 
rence of  such  delay  in  the  future.  It  must  be  noted  that 
other  Supply  Departments  as  well  as  the  Shipping 
Board  were  making  shipments  by  freight  and  express, 
and  also  that  the  Embarkation  Service  controlled  all 
shipments  of  troops  and  supplies  moving  to  the  Ports  of 
Embarkation,  and  that  the  Quartermaster  Corps  had 
no  control  over  the  shipments  or  arrangements  concern- 
ing storage  for  them,  as  a  policy  of  decentralization  in 
such  matters  had  been  adopted  and  its  results  were 
being  demonstrated. 

2.  The  other  type  of  Quartermaster  Depot  was 
really  only  a  purchasing  station.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  War  the  Depot  in  Boston  was  of  such  character. 
That  Depot  simply  executed  the  contracts  made  by  the 
Philadelphia  Depot  for  such  supplies  as  any  contractor 
in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  specified  in  his  proposal  for 
delivery  in  that  city.  There  was  practically  no  stor- 
age space  at  that  Depot  and  no  supplies  were  carried  on 
hand.  There  were  rooms  available  in  which  the  sup- 
plies were  received  and  after  inspection  these  supplies 
would  be  at  once  shipped  to  a  Storage  Depot,  such  as 
New  York  or  Philadelphia.  There  was  quite  a  large 
force  of  clerks  and  inspectors  assigned  to  the  Boston 
Depot,  and  as  at  times  contractors  frequently  elected  to 
make  deliveries  under  their  contracts  at  the  Philadel- 
phia Depot,  where  there  was  an  adequate  force  of 
inspectors  to  handle  the  ordinary  amount  of  work  at 


278       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

that  depot,  it  often  resulted  that  there  was  not  sufficient 
work  at  the  Boston  Depot  to  justify  the  retention  of  the 
men.  Consequently,  as  a  matter  of  expense,  the  In- 
spectors General  had  for  four  or  five  years  prior  to  1917 
recommended  the  abolishment  of  that  depot. 

The  men  would  be  given  the  alternative  of  accepting 
a  leave  of  absence  without  pay,  or  taking  a  temporary 
transfer  to  a  Depot  where  their  services  were  needed. 
These  facts  are  recited  to  make  clear  the  conditions 
which  existed  at  such  stations  as  Boston,  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  others. 

Almost  over  night  the  necessity  arose  of  making  the 
Boston  Depot  a  large  storage  depot.  The  Commanding 
Officer  was  authorized  to  lease  all  the  storage  space  re- 
quired, and  to  employ  the  necessary  clerical  force  and 
others  needed  to  handle  the  depot.  No  competent  chief 
clerk  or  storekeeper  or  others  familiar  with  Depot  work 
in  the  Civil  Service  force  of  the  Corps  were  available 
at  that  time.  The  Depot  Quartermaster  did  the  best 
possible  under  the  circumstances  and  the  conditions  then 
existing,  and  secured  such  storage  space  as  was  avail- 
able, which  of  course  was  in  separate  buildings  necessi- 
tating double  handling  of  the  supplies  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  men. 

The  urgency  was  great  as  Boston  was  to  be  the  sup- 
ply depot  for  Camp  Devens,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
get  the  supplies  and  have  them  ready  for  prompt  ship- 
ment to  the  camp  as  soon  as  the  building  there  could 
be  constructed  to  accommodate  them,  and  as  stated  it  is 


WAKEHOUSING  DIVISION  279 

thought  that  the  Depot  Quartermaster  acted  wisely  and 
did  the  best  possible  under  the  circumstances. 

Later  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Ford  Motor  Com- 
pany Assembling  Plant  at  Cambridge  would  for  the 
time  being  afford  a  possible  solution  of  the  problem. 
The  Quartermaster  General  about  August  1st,  wired 
Mr.  Henry  Ford  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  stating  the  con- 
ditions and  asking  if  consent  to  the  Government's  oc- 
cupancy of  the  Plant  by  August  15th,  would  be  given. 
A  reply  was  received  almost  at  once  acceding  to  the  re- 
quest and  handsomely  turning  over  the  property  to  the 
Quartermaster  Corps  by  August  15th  on  such  terms 
for  its  occupancy  as  the  Government  itself  would  make. 
This  splendid  offer  was  taken  advantage  of  at  the 
earliest  possible  date. 

Some  time  antedating  the  occupancy  of  the  Ford 
Plant,  at  the  direction  of  the  Depot  Committee  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense  an  Expert  was  sent  to 
inspect  the  Depot  at  Boston.  The  report  submitted 
showed  that  the  depot  was  scattered  in  separate  build- 
ings, that  there  was  not  an  adequate  trained  force 
of  skilled  storage  men,  that  the  proper  blank  forms  for 
transacting  the  business  were  not  used,  that  the  un- 
loading and  piling  of  the  stores  were  done  by  hand  with 
only  such  accessories  as  a  few  hand  trucks,  that  there 
were  no  mechanical  conveyors,  piling  machines  or  elec- 
tric trucks  on  hand. 

The  time  of  the  Officers  in  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Depot  Quarter- 
master had  to  be  devoted  to  giving  consideration  to  that 


280       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

report  and  making  explanations  of  the  conditions  and 
the  circumstances  surrounding  the  particular  case, 
which  could  have  been  ascertained  by  a  proper  investiga- 
tion on  the  ground.  This  time  was  most  vital  and 
important  at  that  instant. 

It  would  be  brutal  and  inhuman  to  criticize  a  man, 
who  was  known  to  be  both  totally  blind  and  deaf  for 
falling  into  a  depression,  when  passing  along  an  unfa- 
miliar road ;  but,  if  it  were  known  that  a  man  possessing 
extraordinary  powers  of  sight  and  hearing  should  in 
the  clearest  daylight  deliberately  walk  into  a  depression 
even  on  an  unfamiliar  road,  one  might  be  surprised, 
even  if  not  prone  to  be  critical. 

Realizing  the  conditions  before  related,  and  being 
most  anxious  to  secure  every  possible  assistance  for  the 
Corps,  in  the  solution  of  the  many  and  great  problems 
which  were  presented  to  it,  and  also  to  secure  assistance 
for  the  chief  of  the  Warehousing  Division  in  carrying 
out  the  work  assigned  to  him,  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral consulted  the  Chairman  of  the  Depot  Committee 
requesting  the  suggestion  of  some  one  who  would  be 
of  assistance.  Upon  the  suggestion  of  the  Chairman  a 
telegram  was  sent  on  October  19,  1917,  to  Mr.  H.  B. 
Thayer,  then  President  of  the  Western  Electric  Com- 
pany, now  the  President  of  the  American  Telephone  and 
Telegraph  Company,  by  the  Quartermaster  General 
as  follows : 


"Can  you  send  a  man  to  Washington,  Monday  or  Tuesday 
of  next  week  to  help  design  and  install  record  and  stockkeep- 
ing  system  for  Quartermaster  Corps'?" 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  281 

In  response  to  foregoing  telegram  Mr.  Thayer,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Western  Electric  Company,  sent  Mr.  O.  D. 
Street,  General  Manager  of  Distribution,  to  Washing- 
ton on  October  22nd. 

During  the  interview  the  Quartermaster  General 
requested  Mr.  Street  to  remain  in  Washington  to  as- 
sist Major  A.  E.  Williams  in  organizing  the  Ware- 
housing Division.  The  request  was  referred  to  Mr. 
Thayer  who  replied  that  the  Western  Electric  Com- 
pany would  be  glad  to  lend  Mr.  Street's  services  to  the 
Government,  and  also  the  services  of  several  experts 
who  were  Mr.  Street's  assistants. 

Inquiry  was  made  concerning  the  reason  for  assign- 
ing the  Requirements  and  Statistical  branches  to  the 
Warehousing  Division,  and  it  was  explained  that  while 
the  Requirements  branch  was  in  existence  it  was 
thought,  to  need  proper  development,  and  that  the  Sta- 
tistical Branch  was  a  new  suggestion.  It  was  thought, 
however,  that  Mr.  Street's  experience  would  materially 
assist  in  its  proper  organization  and  development. 

The  subjects  of  statistics  and  graphical  charts  were 
entirely  new  to  the  War  Department.  Effort  had  been 
made  back  in  1892  to  induce  the  War  Department  to 
recognize  the  importance  of  the  study  of  statistics  and 
the  development  of  graphical  charts.  A  supply  map  of 
the  State  of  Oregon  had  been  prepared  in  a  crude  form 
and  forwarded  as  an  illustration  of  the  suggestion 
made.  In  1893  the  publication  of  a  small  book  again 
sought  to  direct  attention  to  this  important  matter,  and 
again  in  1905  another  book  referred  to  the  matter  and 


282       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

pointed  out  the  valuable  works  published  by  Levasseur, 
Cheysson,  Bertillon  and  other  eminent  writers  in 
France. 

Our  Army,  however,  had  not  taken  up  the  subjects 
and  it  was  realized  that  at  that  time  it  was  possible  to 
secure  adequate  funds  for  so  necessary  work,  and  as 
in  Commercial  business  such  methods  had  been  in  use 
for  some  years,  it  was  thought  that  a  man  of  Mr.  Street's 
experience  would  enable  the  work  to  be  successfully 
undertaken. 

The  plan  finally  adopted  was  to  establish  six  branches 
in  the  Warehousing  Division  as  follows: 

1.  Requirements  Branch 

2.  Factory  Scheduling  Branch 

3.  Statistical  Branch 

4.  Overseas  Service  Branch 

5.  Depot  Supervision  Branch 

6.  Administrative  Branch 

The  functions  assigned  to  each  of  the  branches  were 
as  follows : 

Function  of  Requirements  Branch:  To  determine 
requirements  of  Quartermasters  suppies  adequate  to 
supply  the  needs  of  an  army  of  predetermined  size ;  and 
determine  the  monthly  rate  at  which  these  supplies  will 
be  needed. 

To  keep  up  to  date  the  Quartermasters'  Manual. 

To  compute,  classify  and  tabulate  all  data  having  to 
do  with  tonnage,  weight  and  cubical  contents  of  Quar- 
termasters' supplies  which  the  other  branches  may  from 
time  to  time  require. 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  283 

To  equate  specific  requirements  as  may  be  requested 
by  other  branches. 

Function  of  Factory  Scheduling  Branch:  To  dis- 
tribute the  supplies  as  turned  out  by  the  factories  which 
are  working  on  Government  contracts  based  on  knowl- 
edge as  to  where  and  when  they  are  needed. 

Function  of  Statistical  Branch:  To  maintain  card 
records  of  all  contracts  placed,  and  record  thereon  de- 
liveries made  under  each  contract. 

To  prepare  charts  showing  graphically  the  status  of 
contracts. 

To  maintain  card  records  of  stocks  on  hand  at  each 
depot. 

Function  of  Overseas  Service  Branch:  To  see  that 
all  orders  placed  by  oversea  forces  are  shipped  promptly 
and  completely. 

To  maintain  the  records  incident  to  these  orders. 

To  handle  all  inquiries  relative  to  these  orders. 

Function  of  Depot  Supervision  Branch:  To  pro- 
vide sufficient  and  proper  storage  facilities  at  interior 
depots,  at  the  oversea  depots  and  at  points  of  manu- 
facture. 

To  determine  the  proper  and  most  efficient  form  of 
organization  for  each  depot. 

To  prescribe  what  forms  shall  be  used  and  what  meth- 
ods of  procedure  shall  be  followed. 

To  see  that  these  forms  and  methods  are  standardized 
and  used  at  each  depot. 

To  determine  the  manner  in  which  the  merchandise 
at  the  depots  shall  be  stored  and  handled  to  the  end  that 


284       THE  QUARTEKMASTER  CORPS 

this  work  may  be  done  in  an  orderly  and  efficient  man- 
ner. 

To  see  that  the  depots  are  properly  safeguarded 
against  loss  or  damage  by  fire,  loss  by  theft,  or  destruc- 
tion by  acts  of  the  enemy. 

Function  of  Administrative  Branch:  To  supervise 
the  employment  of  help. 

To  have  supervision  of  the  files. 

To  have  supervision  of  the  Mailing  Department. 

To  prepare  and  standardize  all  printed  forms  and 
routines. 

To  prepare  and  issue  for  the  Commanding  Officer  all 
Divisional  instructions. 

To  have  supervision  of  the  central  stenographic  and 
typing  division. 

To  maintain  stocks  of  stationery  and  office  equipment. 

To  have  supervision  of  all  messengers. 

To  determine  the  allotment  of  office  space. 

To  supervise  all  office  layouts. 

To  have  supervision  of  the  building — the  care  and 
upkeep  thereof. 

The  organization  above  outlined  was  submitted  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  and  received  his  approval,  and 
as  it  was  demonstrated  to  be  impossible,  because  of  the 
urgency  of  having  the  Division  in  effective  operation,  to 
find  sufficient  number  of  civilians  with  proper  ex- 
perience beyond  the  draft  age,  permission  was  given 
to  commission  men  of  the  draft  age  who  had  the  neces- 
sary experience. 

For  the  purpose  of  standardizing  warehouse  meth- 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  285 

ods  and  practices  at  all  depots  inspections  were  made 
of  the  several  depots.  As  a  result  of  these  inspections 
a  complete  set  of  warehouse  and  office  forms  was  pre- 
pared, also  a  set  of  Stores  Instructions  giving  informa- 
tion as  to  the  method  of  preparing  each  form,  when  and 
by  whom. 

Stock  maintenance  cards  were  designed  and  routines 
covering  the  operation  thereof  prepared.  Complete 
sets  of  receiving  and  shipping  forms  were  also  prepared, 
together  with  routines  affecting  them.  Instructions 
were  prepared  showing  in  detail  the  method  of  han- 
dling questions  of  service,  assembling,  packing  and 
marking  same,  handling  of  shipping  papers,  the  prop- 
erty accounts,  etc. 

These  forms  were  later  adopted  as  standards  for  all 
Supply  Departments  of  the  Army,  when,  after  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Overman  law  in  the  spring  of  1918,  the 
warehousing  functions  of  all  the  Supply  Departments 
were  placed  under  one  control,  that  of  the  Director  of 
Purchasing,  Storage  and  Traffic. 

The  Cablegram  and  Overseas  Shipments  Branch  or- 
ganized in  the  Office  continued  throughout  to  function 
in  the  manner  originally  prescribed.  The  following 
is  a  detail  of  its  organization  and  methods  of  procedure : 

A  Branch  in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General 
of  the  Army  known  as  the  Cable  Service  &  Overseas 
Shipments  Branch  was  organized  shortly  after  the 
United  States  entered  the  world  war.  This  Branch 
was  charged  with  the  handling  of  all  cable  services  of 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  with  the  American  Expedi- 


286       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

tionary  Forces  in  France  and  with  the  supervision  of 
the  shipment  of  all  Quartermasters'  supplies  to  the 
troops  in  France.  M.  S.  Keene,  then  Captain,  Quar- 
termaster Corps,  was  ordered  to  Washington  for  duty 
in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  and  assigned 
to  this  Branch.  At  that  time  little  or  no  thought  or 
attention  had  been  given  to  these  matters  and  the  office 
force  consisted  of  two  clerks.  This  force  was  increased 
in  the  course  of  two  months  to  some  fifty  officers  and 
seventy-five  clerks. 

In  the  handling  of  the  cablegram  service  the  system 
inaugurated  in  this  Branch  for  service  in  the  Quarter- 
master General's  office  was  later  standardized  for  all  the 
bureaus  of  the  War  Department.  Cablegrams  were 
received  decoded,  and  such  parts  thereof  with  which  the 
various  divisions  of  the  Quartermaster  General's  office 
were  concerned  were  referred  to  those  interested  therein. 
A  follow-up  on  all  cablegrams  received  and  all  those  sent 
to  France  was  maintained  and  no  draft  of  a  reply  to 
the  forces  in  France  was  authorized  to  be  released  until 
it  had  been  viseed  in  this  Branch  to  insure  that  all  the 
requirements  in  the  original  cablegram  had  been  ful- 
filled. In  connection  with  this  cable  service,  the  Com- 
manding General  of  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  instead  of  frequently  cabling  for  supplies,  sent 
by  cable  during  the  war  to  the  Quartermaster  General's 
office  many  automatic  requisitions  for  various  supplies 
which  were  based  upon  the  number  of  troops  in  France, 
the  number  scheduled  to  proceed  thereto  and  the  number 
that  were  actually  en  route.     To  determine  definitely 


WAKEHOUSING  DIVISION  287 

the  actual  quantity  of  supplies  that  should  be  ordered 
and  shipped,  it  was  necessary  that  a  very  close  liaison 
be  maintained  with  the  Division  of  the  General  Staff 
which  was  charged  with  troop  movements. 

At  first  troop  movement  information  was  not  pos- 
sible to  be  obtained,  and  no  end  of  confusion  resulted 
either  in  over  or  under  shipments  of  supplies.  Upon 
repeated  complaints  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  this 
Branch  to  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army,  necessary 
arrangements  were  finally  made  whereby  this  confi- 
dential information  was  made  available  to  all  of  the 
Supply  Departments.  The  Cable  Service  &  Overseas 
Shipments  Branch  periodically  informed  the  various 
Divisions  in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  of 
the  Army  relative  to  the  time  when  supplies  were  re- 
quired on  automatic  requisitions  referred  to  above  and 
when  the  supplies  should  be  released  for  shipment. 
This  Branch  did  not  attempt  to  actually  order  specific 
quantities  of  any  commodity,  but  after  orders  had  been 
placed  for  supplies  for  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces,  they  were  invariably  checked  and  if  the  appro- 
priate quantity  of  supplies  had  not  been  ordered,  neces- 
sary action  would  be  taken  looking  toward  effecting  an 
increase.  This  service  therefore  provided  a  check  and 
follow-up  on  all  of  the  operating  Divisions  in  the  Quar- 
termaster General's  office. 

No  record  of  any  character  was  maintained  in  con- 
nection with  the  first  shipments  of  Quartermasters'  sup- 
plies to  France.  Orders  for  supplies  were  placed  and 
in  view  of  the  chaotic  conditions  no  follow-up  thereon 


288       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

was  maintained  nor  was  the  status  thereof  known  until 
the  receipt  of  a  cable  from  France  requesting  informa- 
tion relative  to  the  shipment  of  any  specific  commodity 
or  commodities.  Frequently  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral was  called  upon  by  the  members  of  Congress,  the 
Secretary  of  War  and  various  members  of  the  General 
Staff  relative  to  the  status  of  orders  received  for  ship- 
ment to  France.  This  information  invariably  would 
necessitate  knowing  not  only  the  actual  quantity  of  the 
various  commodities  on  order,  but  the  quantity  that 
was  actually  on  the  rails  en  route  to  the  ports  of  em- 
barkation for  shipment,  the  quantity  that  might  have 
been  at  seaports  awaiting  shipments  and  also  the  quan- 
tity that  was  on  the  high  seas. 

When  the  first  shipment  of  supplies  went  forward  to 
France  many  complaints  were  received  resulting  there- 
from. For  example,  large  shipments  of  escort  wagons 
were  forwarded  to  Newport  News,  Virginia.  In  the 
loading  of  the  ships  the  bodies  of  escort  wagons  which 
were  knocked  down  would  be  loaded  on  one  vessel  and 
the  wheels,  axles  and  whipple-trees,  etc.,  on  another. 
The  ships  would  leave  the  port  with  clearance  papers  for 
the  same  port  in  France  and  while  under  way  one  of 
the  ships  would  be  diverted  to  another  port.  This 
would  result  in  the  following  conditions:  The  wagon 
bodies  would  reach  one  port  and  the  other  accessories 
necessary  for  the  assembling  of  the  wagons  would  ar- 
rive at  another  some  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  miles 
distant.  This  was  a  condition  over  which  the  office  of 
the  Quartermaster  General  had  no  control  as  the  trans- 


WAKEHOUSING  DIVISION"  289 

portation  service  at  that  time  was  not  under  his  juris- 
diction. However,  the  condition  was  afterwards  largely 
rectified  as  a  result  of  instructions  issued  from  the 
Cable  Service  &  Overseas  Shipments  Branch  to  the  ef- 
fect that  wagons  complete  must  he  loaded  on  the  same 
ship. 

A  system  was  inaugurated  in  this  Branch  which  en- 
abled the  Quartermaster  General  and  his  office  to  know 
at  all  times  the  status  of  any  requisition  for  supplies  and 
all  shipments  made  thereunder.  The  system  showed  for 
any  order  the  date  of  receipt  thereof,  when  shipments 
were  made,  the  quantity  of  the  commodity  that  was 
shipped,  the  date  of  its  arrival  at  the  port,  the  total 
quantity  at  the  port  awaiting  shipment,  the  quantity 
and  date  when  loaded,  and  the  name  of  ship  upon  which 
loaded  and  date  of  arrival  in  France.  If,  therefore,  we 
had  been  unfortunate  enough  to  lose  any  of  our  ships 
carrying  troops  and  supplies  to  France,  all  of  the  Quar- 
termasters' supplies  that  were  on  any  ship  that  was  lost 
could  thus  have  been  immediately  reordered,  with  no 
delay  that  would  otherwise  have  been  attendant.  All 
shipments  were  traced  and  necessary  action  taken  look- 
ing toward  providing  rolling  stock,  for  the  Companies 
making  shipments,  by  this  Branch. 

This  Branch  also  prepared  the  first  packing  regula- 
tions that  were  issued  to  the  army,  and  in  addition 
thereto  originated  the  baling  of  blankets,  clothing,  shoes 
and  other  similar  commodities  instead  of  shipping 
them  in  wooden  or  other  containers,  thereby  greatly  con- 
serving the  limited  amount  of  space  available  for  the 


290       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

shipment  of  Quartermasters'  supplies.  Periodically 
the  cubical  contents  of  supplies  that  were  under  orders 
for  shipment  to  France  were  given  to  the  General  Staff 
so  that  an  appropriate  amount  of  space  on  the  ships 
would  be  made  available  for  the  shipment  of  these  sup- 
plies. This  system  as  herein  outlined  was  standardized 
for  all  the  bureaus  of  the  War  Department. 

Captain  R.  H.  Hess,  Q.  M.  Reserve  Corps,  was  as- 
signed to  the  charge  of  the  Statistical  Branch,  which 
before  January  1st  numbered  approximately  fifty  of- 
ficers and  clerks.  Early  in  November  this  Branch  pre- 
pared the  first  graphic  charts  showing  estimated  re- 
quirements, the  status  of  stocks  on  hand,  unfilled  con- 
tracts and  the  condition  of  unfilled  orders. 

On  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Street  the  following 
were  given  commissions  and  assigned  to  duty:  Major 
Frederick  L.  Devereux  in  charge  of  the  Requirements 
Branch;  Major  J.  R.  Orton,  assistant  to  Major  Dever- 
eux; Major  George  F.  Perkins,  in  charge  of  Adminis- 
trative Branch.  Major  Frederick  B.  Wells,  formerly 
Vice  President  of  Peavy  and  Company  of  Minneapolis, 
was  assigned  to  the  charge  of  the  Depot  Supervision 
Branch. 

By  December  31,  1917,  the  personnel  of  the  Ware- 
housing Division  had  increased  from  approximately  fif- 
teen to  350  commissioned  officers  and  civilian  em- 
ployees, both  included. 

Major  Frederick  L.  Devereux,  was  subsequently  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  placed  in  charge  of  the 


WAREHOUSING  DIVISION  291 

work  of  preparing  the  Requirements  for  the  entire 
Army. 

Major  Frederick  B.  Wells,  was  assigned  as  Chief  of 
the  Warehousing  Division  when  Lieutenant  Colonel 
A.  E.  Williams  was  ordered  for  duty  in  France.  Later, 
after  the  passage  of  the  Overman  law  when  the  con- 
solidation was  affected,  he  was  made  a  Colonel  and  as- 
signed to  duty  on  the  General  Staff  as  Director  of  Stor- 
age, thus  being  in  charge  of  all  warehousing  and  storage 
problems  for  the  army. 

The  men  recommended  for  commission  by  Mr.  Street 
remained,  almost  without  exception,  in  the  service  and 
performed  efficient  work  during  the  war.  The  credit 
of  securing  an  efficient  and  adequate  personnel,  of  per- 
fecting the  plan  for  a  proper  organization  and  an  effi- 
cient administration,  and  outlining  the  basic  principles 
to  effect  the  same  is  due  to  Mr.  O.  D.  Street,  the  Gen- 
eral Manager  of  Distribution  of  the  Western  Electric 
Company.  Acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  patriotic 
spirit  shown  by  Mr.  Theodore  N.  Vail,  then  President 
of  the  American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company, 
and  to  Mr.  H.  B.  Thayer,  then  President  of  the  Western 
Electric  Company,  in  placing  the  services  of  so  many 
of  the  officials  of  their  companies  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Government,  as  without  such  action  on  their  part  the 
organization  of  the  Warehousing  Division  might  not 
have  been  possible,  certainly  not  in  the  incredibly  short 
space  of  time  in  which  it  was  accomplished. 


VIII 
CONSTRUCTION  DIVISION 

Fourteen    training    camps    for   officers — Refrigerating    plants    for 
use   in   France — Mechanical   repair    shop    units. 

This  Division  had  charge  of  all  new  construction  at 
posts  and  the  repairs  necessary  to  all  buildings.  Early 
in  April,  1917,  the  War  Department  authorities  decided 
that  fourteen  traiuing  camps  for  officers  would  be  es- 
tablished at  various  posts  throughout  the  country. 
These  camps  were  to  have  a  total  capacity  of  about  40,- 
000  men  and  were  to  be  opened  about  the  15th  of  May. 
Thus  a  little  more  than  a  month  was  given  in  which  to 
have  the  buildings  ready  for  occupancy.  Temporary 
buildings  had  to  be  provided  as  there  was  not  an  avail- 
able supply  of  tents  on  hand. 

There  was  not  time  to  advertise  for  proposals,  and  a 
number  of  thoroughly  competent  and  reliable  construc- 
tors were  called  to  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral and  expressed  their  willingness  to  undertake  the 
work.  As  the  time  was  so  short  it  was  not  possible  to 
secure  prices  for  the  material,  and  as  the  men  would 
have  to  be  paid  for  overtime,  they  were  unable  to  quote 
a  price  for  undertaking  the  work,  but  agreed  to  do  so  if 
paid  a  commission  in  addition  to  the  cost  of  the  work. 

292 


CONSTRUCTION  DIVISION  293 

There  was  no  alternative  and  as  these  men  had  their 
organizations  in  existence  the  offer  was  accepted.  A 
form  of  contract  was  prepared  and  submitted  to  the 
Auditor  of  the  War  Department.  Modifications  were 
necessary  and  to  save  vital  time  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral notified  each  of  the  contractors  in  writing  that  the 
contract  would  be  awarded  to  him  when  drawn  in  ac- 
ceptable form,  provided  he  would  undertake  to  begin 
work  at  once  upon  the  receipt  of  such  notification. 

The  work  was  commenced  immediately,  at  one  post 
within  an  hour  after  the  receipt  of  the  letter  above  re- 
ferred to,  and  was  completed  in  time  to  receive  the 
student  officers  on  the  date  fixed  by  the  War  De- 
partment. 

Mr.  L.  B.  Wehle,  who  was  Counsel  for  the  War 
Finance  Corporation  of  the  Treasury  Department,  arid 
also  on  the  Legal  Committee  of  the  General  Munitions 
Board  rendered  great  assistance  in  the  drafting  of  the 
form  of  contract  which  met  the  approval  of  the  Account- 
ing Officers  of  the  Treasury  Department.  The  amount 
involved  in  this  transaction  was  many  millions  of  dol- 
lars. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  A.  E.  F.  Headquar- 
ters in  France  request  was  received  for  a  refrigerating 
plant  capable  of  storing  5,000  tons  of  beef  and  of  pro- 
ducing 500  tons  of  ice  daily.  The  Construction  Division 
was  directed  to  supply  the  necessary  machinery,  pro- 
vide for  its  shipment  to  France,  and  secure  the  necessary 
machinists  and  skilled  workmen  to  erect  the  building 
and  install  the  machinery,  and  also  to  create  an  organ- 


294       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ization  to  operate  the  plant.  It  was  found  that  one  of 
the  Packing  Companies  in  Chicago  had  on  hand  new 
machinery  for  a  Refrigerating  Plant  of  the  capacity 
desired  which  was  to  be  erected  for  its  own  use  in  this 
country.  Upon  learning  that  the  Government  wished 
to  install  such  a  plant  in  France,  the  Company  turned 
over  the  machinery  to  it. 

The  machinery  was  secured  and  shipped  to  France 
with  a  requisite  force  to  construct  the  buildings  and  in- 
stall the  machinery  and  an  Ice  Plant  Company  was 
organized  and  sent  over  to  operate  the  plant.  This  plant 
was  installed  at  Gievres  in  France,  and  its  actual  ca- 
pacity was  9,000  tons  but  at  one  time  there  were  20,000,- 
000  pounds  (ten  thousand  tons)  of  beef  in  storage.  The 
cost  of  the  machinery,  erection  of  plant  and  its  installa- 
tion was  approximately  $1,000,000.  Anticipating  that 
other  plants  would  be  required  orders  were  given  the 
Construction  Division  to  secure  the  machinery,  and 
equipment  for  two  additional  plants. 

The  purchase  was  made  and  the  machinery,  etc., 
shipped  to  France.  One  of  the  plants  was  erected  at 
Basseus  near  Bordeaux.  The  original  design  called  for 
6,000  tons  of  carcass  beef  storage  and  the  production 
of  600  tons  of  ice  daily.  As  practically  no  ice  was 
produced,  the  capacity  of  the  plant  was  7,000  tons  of 
carcass  beef,  though  at  one  time  there  were  16,000,000 
pounds,  8,000  tons,  of  beef  in  storage. 

The  machinery  for  another  refrigerating  plant  was 
in  France,  secured  in  compliance  with  the  instructions 
above  referred  to,  and  it  is  understood  that  just  before 


CONSTKUCTION  DIVISION  295 

the  Armistice  was  signed  it  was  contemplated  to  erect 
a  third  refrigerating  plant  in  the  vicinity  of  Chaumont. 
This  plant  would  have  been  of  about  the  same  capacity 
as  the  others. 

At  times  it  was  difficult  to  secure  in  this  country  the 
ammonia  required  by  the  refrigerating  plants,  but  the 
supply  at  no  time  failed,  and  it  is  understood  that  there 
were  no  losses  of  beef  or  other  articles  in  storage  in 
the  two  refrigerating  plants  in  France. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  war  two  of  the 
greatest  difficulties  it  had  to  contend  with  were  time  and 
distance;  time,  in  which  to  organize,  clothe,  equip  and 
train  the  troops,  and  provide  the  necessary  supplies  for 
their  maintenance  in  the  theater  of  operations ;  and 
second,  the  distance  which  the  men  and  supplies  had  to 
be  transported  to  the  theater  of  operations.  Tonnage 
was  therefore  the  vital  element  of  the  problem  of  sup- 
ply. In  order  to  make  the  greatest  possible  use  of  the 
tonnage  available  it  was  necessary  to  get  the  maximum 
wear  and  use  from  the  material  shipped  to  France.  This 
same  problem  had  confronted  both  the  French  and  the 
British  authorities,  and  the  reports  submitted  by  our 
Military  Attaches,  which  stated  in  a  general  way  the 
methods  taken  to  meet  these  difficulties,  had  been  care- 
fully studied  in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral prior  to  our  entrance  into  the  war.  Fortunately 
Brigadier  General  (then  Colonel)  Thomas  Heron,  C. 
B.,  of  the  British  Army  was  on  duty  in  the  Office  of  the 
Quartermaster  General.  This  officer  had  assisted  in 
organizing  and  planning  the  first  Salvage  Depot  which 


296       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  British  Army  established  in  France,  and  his  advice, 
and  assistance  was  of  inestimable  value  at  a  critical 
time.  His  fundamental  principle  was  that  it  was  far 
better  to  err  in  having  a  plant  too  large  than  not  tq 
have  one  large  enough  to  meet  the  needs.  That  was  the! 
principle  adopted  in  forming  the  Mechanical  Repair 
Shop  Units,  and  the  instructions  given  to  Colonel  Fur- 
low  and  Colonel  Hegeman  were  to  provide  the  men  and 
machinery  required  to  meet  any  call  upon  such  Units. 
Colonel  Furlow  had  charge  of  the  work  in  the  office  and 
Colonel  Hegeman  was  designated  to  accompany  the 
units  over  to  France  and  have  charge  of  the  work  there. 

The  Mechanical  Repair  Shop  Units  were  organized, 
trained  and  equipped  at  Camp  Meigs,  Washington,  a 
training  camp  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps  enlisted  per- 
sonnel. When  first  formed  these  units  were  organized 
to  handle  all  Quartermaster  repair  and  salvage,  i.  e. 
repair  and  salvage  of  motor  and  animal  drawn  vehicles, 
clothing,  shoes,  tentage  and  harness,  and  arrived  in 
France  ready  to  undertake  such  work.  It  was  decided, 
however,  to  separate  the  work  and  that  their  function 
should  be  the  repair  of  vehicles  only.  Accordingly,  the 
personnel  and  equipment  for  repairing  clothing,  shoes, 
tentage  and  harness  were  detached,  but  the  repair  and 
salvage  of  animal  drawn  vehicles  remained  with  these 
units,  as  the  machinery  equipment  was  to  a  large  extent 
necessary  for  the  repair  of  both  motor  and  animal  drawn 
vehicles,  and  yet  not  capable  of  division  to  permit  of 
operation  in  two  separate  plants. 

The  first  Motor  Repair  Shops  were  located  for  a  while 


CONSTRUCTION  DIVISION  297 

at  Nevers,  and  later  the  large  plant  at  Verneuil  were 
established  under  the  command  of  Colonel  liegeman. 

The  Salvage  Depot  was  located  at  St.  Pierre  des 
Corps,  and  to  that  station  were  transferred  the  person- 
nel and  equipment  for  repairing  clothing,  shoes,  tentage 
and  harness. 

It  was  the  opinion  that  the  country  was  committed 
to  preparing  for  a  long  war  and  consequently  the  shops 
for  use  abroad  should  be  of  permanent  construction ;  and 
fabricated  steel  buildings  which  could  be  bought  in  this 
country  were  considered  most  suitable.  There  were  pur- 
chased thirteen  standard  buildings,  each  100'  x  200'  in 
dimensions,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  unit  sections, 
each  25'  x  50',  built  in  accordance  with  the  design  pre- 
pared by  Colonel  liegeman.  This  formed  the  basis  of 
the  plant  established  at  Verneuil. 

On  May  18,  1917,  by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War 
a  division  known  as  the  Cantonment  Division  was  es- 
tablished in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  to 
be  charged  with  all  matters  connected  with  construction 
at  Cantonments  and  Camps  in  the  United  States,  and 
Colonel  (later  Brigadier  General)  I.  W.  Littell  was 
assigned  to  the  charge  of  this  Division.  By  the  order 
all  matters  pertaining  to  the  Division  were  to  be  taken 
up  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  same  direct  with  the  Chief 
of  Staff  and  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  the  Quartermas- 
ter Corps  proper  thereafter  had  nothing  to  do  with  con- 
struction at  Camps  and  Cantonments. 

To  avoid  the  formation  of  two  similar  organizations 
abroad  and  the  sending  of  similar  character  of  supplies 


298       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS' 

by  two  Departments  to  France,  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral on  May  26,  1917,  addressed  the  following  letter  to 
the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army: 

"Subject:  Construction,  etc.,  connection  with  Expe- 
ditionary Force  to  France. 

"1.  Under  Army  Regulations,  1913,  in  the  last 
paragraph  of  Par.  1,493,  it  is  stated  that,  'In  time  of 
actual  or  threatened  hostilities  within  the  theater  of 
operations,  the  Engineer  Corps  has  charge  of  the  loca- 
tion, design  and  construction  of  wharves,  piers,  land- 
ings, storehouses,  hospitals  and  other  structures  of  gen- 
eral interest;  and  of  the  construction,  maintenance  and 
repair  of  roads,  ferries,  bridges  and  incidental  struc- 
tures; and  of  the  construction,  maintenance  and  opera- 
tion of  railroads  under  military  control,  including  the 
construction  and  operation  of  armored  trains  (C.A.R., 
No.  46).' 

"2.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Engineer  Corps 
will  have  in  France  a  trained  personnel  which  could  be 
effectively  used  in  providing  not  only  the  military 
facilities  indicated  in  this  paragraph,  but  in  addition 
thereto,  shelter  for  troops  which  is  implied  in  the  para- 
graph under  'other  structures  of  general  interest,'  it  is 
recommended : 

"(a)  Upon  arrival  of  the  American  Force  in 
France  that  territory  be  considered  in  the  theater  of 
operations. 

"(b)  That  the  Engineer  Corps  be  authorized  to 
construct  not  only  the  facilities  indicated  in  the  above 
paragraph,  but  in  addition  thereto,  the  necessary  bar- 
racks for  housing  the  personnel  of  the  Expeditionary 
Force. 

"3.  The  Chief  of  Engineers  has  been  consulted  con- 
cerning the  above  and  approves. 


CONSTRUCTION  DIVISION  299 

"4.  If  this  recommendation  is  approved,  it  is  rec- 
ommended that  the  Engineer  Department  be  instructed 
accordingly  and  this  office  advised  of  the  action  taken." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Quartermaster  General. 

To  have  insisted  upon  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
carrying  on  those  functions  in  that  portion  of  France 
not  included  in  the  "theater  of  operations"  would  ap- 
pear to  place  the  interests  of  the  Corps  superior  to 
those  of  the  Army  and  the  country,  and  if  attempted 
undoubtedly  would  not  have  been  tolerated  by  the 
Commanding  General.  The  above  letter  was  returned 
by  the  Adjutant  General : 

Left  with  Sec,  G.  S.,  May  28,  1917. 
Rec'd  Back  A.  G.  O.,  June  15,  1917. 

2607231  1st  Ind. 

War  Department,  A.G.O.,  June  16,  1917— To  the 
Quartermaster  General,  approved,  with  the  informa- 
tion that  the  Chief  of  Engineers  in  connection  with  the 
duties  assigned  to  the  Corps  of  Engineers  in  para- 
graph 1,493,  Army  Regulations,  has  been  charged  also 
with  the  construction  of  the  necessary  temporary  shelter 
for  housing  the  personnel  of  the  expeditionary  force. 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Adjutant  General. 
Copy  for  Quartermaster  General. 
2607231 

"From :  The  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army. 
"To :  The  Chief  of  Engineers. 

"Subject:  Construction,  etc.,  in  connection  with  Expe- 
ditionary Force  to  France. 


300        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

"In  interpreting  paragraph  1,493,  Army  Regula- 
tions, the  Secretary  of  War  directs : 

" (a)  That,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  American  Forces 
in  France,  that  territory  be  considered  in  the  theater 
of  operations,  and 

"(b)  That  the  Corps  of  Engineers  be  charged  not 
only  with  the  construction  of  the  facilities  specified 
in  the  above  mentioned  paragraph  of  Army  Regulations, 
but  also  with  all  other  construction  necessary  in  con- 
nection with  the  operations  and  shelter  of  the  Expe- 
ditionary Force." 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Adjutant  General. 

In  October,  1917,  by  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
the  Cantonment  Division  was  directed  to  take  over  all 
construction  work  for  the  Army  in  this  manner  central- 
izing in  one  agency  all  the  work  of  construction  which, 
since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  had  been  undertaken 
by  the  various  Supply  Departments  of  the  Army,  and 
thus  eliminating  the  competition  between  bureaus  and 
making  it  possible  to  consolidate  all  of  the  several  con- 
structing agencies  of  the  War  Department. 

The  law,  until  the  outbreak  of  the  War,  had  directed 
that  all  contraction  work  for  the  Army  should  be  done 
by  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  and  this  order  was  a  return 
in  a  measure  to  the  former  practice  except  that  the  order 
establishing  the  Cantonment  Division  its  chief  was  in- 
structed to  function  directly  with  the  Chief  of  Staff,  and 
the  Secretary  of  War. 


IX 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS 

Problem  of  the  Grocery  Division- — Clothing  and  Equipage  Divi- 
sions— Forage  and  Warehouse  Divisions — Purchasing  and 
warehousing  materials — Manufacture  of  uniforms — German 
vessels  and  the  docks  at  Hoboken — Business  of  the  depots. 

There  were  on  December  31,  1917,  fourteen  supply 
depots  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps,  with  a  personnel  of  approximately  44,000  civ- 
ilian employees.  The  following  is  a  summary  of  the 
functions  of  these  depots: 

Atlanta. — This  was  a  general  supply  depot  for  nine 
camps  in  the  southeastern  section  of  the  country,  and 
it  likewise  supplied  the  Coast  Artillery  and  other  mili- 
tary posts  in  that  section.  Outside  of  the  supply  func- 
tion, which  consisted  in  supplying  229,450  men,  it  did 
a  small  amount  of  procurement  in  the  nature  of  cotton 
materials.  Through  the  assistance  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Atlanta,  an  excellent,  well  adapted  and 
thoroughly  equipped  storehouse  which  had  recently  been 
completed,  was  secured.  This  storehouse  was  located 
in  a  most  advantageous  site  on  the  railway  terminals 
and  supplied  with  a  perfect  system  of  sidings.  The 
occupancy  of  the  entire  number  of  buildings  was  given 
during  the  war  and  proved  to  be  adequate  to  meet  every 

301 


302        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

condition.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Robert  B.  Powers  was 
first  in  charge  of  this  depot  and  was  succeeded  later 
by  Colonel  Hugh  J.  Gallagher. 

Baltimore. — This  was  the  main  supply  depot  for 
three  camps,  and  supplied  approximately  90,330  men. 
In  addition  it  procured  certain  subsistence  stores  and 
superintended  the  manufacturing  of  a  considerable 
amount  of  clothing.  It  was  also  the  location  of  an  Ex- 
peditionary Depot  in  which  were  accumulated  such  sup- 
plies as  were  needed  for  overseas  shipments ;  and  from 
this  depot  supplies  could  be  promptly  shipped  to  the 
Port  of  Embarkation  at  Newport  News,  Virginia.  At 
this  depot  the  motor  trucks  were  consigned  for  ship- 
ment to  France.  At  one  time  as  many  as  4,000  trucks 
were  held  there  awaiting  available  tonnage  to  make  the 
shipment. 

Colonel  Amos  W.  Kimball  installed  both  these  depots 
and  for  a  time  was  in  command  of  both.  Later  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  were  divided. 

Camp  Holdbird,  a  large  Motor  Repair  Shop  and 
Training  School,  was  also  located  at  Baltimore. 

boston. — Here  was  the  main  source  of  supply  for 
Camp  Devens,  Massachusetts,  and  several  posts  in  the 
northeastern  section  of  the  country.  It  supplied  ap- 
proximately 32,000  men.  It  was  also  a  very  important 
procurement  depot  for  shoes  and  textiles.  The  greater 
proportion  of  the  employees  of  that  depot  were  assigned 
to  the  purchase  and  inspection  functions. 

This  depot  took  over  the  Ford  Motor  Company  As- 
sembling Plant  at  Cambridge  as  one  of  its  depot  build- 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  303 

ings,  and  later  took  over  a  storehouse  and  pier  belong- 
ing to  the  city  of  Boston.  An  immense  amount  of  work 
was  done  by  this  depot  in  inspecting,  receiving  and 
shipping  the  cloths  delivered  under  contract,  and  a  very 
creditable  record  was  made  by  it  in  the  prompt  payment 
for  the  cloths  delivered;  the  average  time  in  which  the 
payments  were  made  being  thirty-six  hours  after  deliv- 
ery and  acceptance. 

Colonel  George  McK.  Williamson  was  the  Depot 
Quartermaster  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  William  B. 
Gracie  was  in  charge  of  the  Wool  Purchasing  Office  of 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  Boston. 

Chicago. — At  the  declaration  of  war,  April  6,  1917, 
the  Depot  occupied  a  five  story  and  basement  building- 
located  at  115  East  Ontario  Street,  having  a  total  floor 
space  of  37,500  square  feet. 

The  principal  functions  of  the  Depot,  until  the  de- 
claration of  war,  were  the  procurement  and  distribution 
of  packing  house  products  to  all  United  States  troops, 
including  those  stationed  in  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii  and 
Philippine  Islands ;  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  other 
articles  of  the  nation ;  subsistence  articles  for  sales ; 
miscellaneous  supplies  to  posts  and  stations  in  the  Cen- 
tral Department,  as  well  as  to  troops  mobilized  on  the 
Texas  border,  also  the  settlement  of  transportation  ac- 
counts with  certain  railroads.  The  number  of  men  sup- 
plied in  the  Central  Department  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  was  about  1,000.  In  May,  1917,  the  first  officers' 
training  camp  was  started  which  added  about  20,000 
men  to  the  number  to  be  supplied. 


304       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

During  August  and  September  cantonments  at  Camps 
Grant,  Custer,  Sherman  and  Dodge  began  to  receive 
National  Guard  regiments  and  the  men  of  the  draft. 
This,  with  the  number  of  men  at  such  stations  as  Fort 
Benjamin  Harrison  and  Fort  Snelling  increased  the 
total  to  over  200,000  men  in  the  Central  Department, 
At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  Grocery  Division  of 
the  office  consisted  of  one  officer,  one  inspector  and  five 
clerks ;  when  the  armistice  was  signed,  the  Division  had 
15  officers,  94  inspectors  and  171  clerks  (including 
enlisted  men.) 

THE    BIG    PROBLEM    OF    THE    GROCERY    DIVISION" 

(a)  Procurement  of  Supplies:  The  greatest  prob- 
lem of  the  Grocery  Division  was  to  open  up  fields  of 
procurement  where  the  vast  amounts  could  be  pur- 
chased. This  necessitated  a  careful  and  comprehensive 
survey  of  the  food  situation  of  the  Middle  West, 
and  the  education  of  contractors  who  had  never  done 
any  Government  business  as  to  the  proper  method  of 
handling  it,  so  that  the  items  supplied  would  conform 
to  all  Government  specifications. 

(b)  Inspection:  An  elaborate  system  of  inspection 
was  established  in  order  that  food-products  purchased 
by  this  Division  would  be  of  a  quality  that  was  pure  and 
wholesome.  The  Inspection  Branch  of  this  Division 
began  with  one  inspector  and  on  the  date  the  armistice 
was  signed  there  were  94  of  them  on  duty.  To  give 
an  idea  of  the  large  amount  of  foods  inspected,  it  should 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  305 

be  noted  that  on  the  item  of  assorted  canned  foods  alone, 
approximately  10,000,000  cases  were  purchased  from 
May,  1917,  to  November,  1918.  There  was  not  one 
instance  of  a  serious  complaint  about  the  subsistence 
stores  furnished  by  this  depot. 

(c)  Prompt  Payment  of  Invoices:  The  policy  of 
the  Chicago  Depot  of  paying  all  invoices  within  ten 
days,  necessitated  close  organization  of  the  Contract 
Branch  in  order  to  handle  expeditiously  all  invoices  cov- 
ering payments  running  into  millions  of  dollars  per 
month.  It  should  be  noted  in  this  connection  that  while 
only  a  portion  of  these  invoices  bore  discount,  the  Gro- 
cery Division  during  the  last  five  months  of  the  war, 
paid  over  95  per  cent,  of  their  invoices  within  ten  days, 
regardless  of  whether  or  not  they  showed  discount,  and 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  this  Division  saved  the  Government 
on  discounts  approximately  one-quarter  of  a  million 
dollars. 

(d)  Distribution:  The  distribution  of  these  sup- 
plies covered  shipments  running  as  high  as  250  car- 
loads per  day.  It  was  a  serious  and  complicated  prob- 
lem, but  by  having  a  corps  of  inspectors,  the  Grocery 
Division  was  able  to  ship  almost  90  per  cent,  of  the 
supplies  purchased  direct  from  the  contractor  to  the 
point  of  consumption. 

One  of  the  important  items  handled  by  this  Depot 
were  special  reserve  rations. 

These  special  reserve  rations  were  packed  in  her- 
metically sealed,  galvanized  iron  containers,  in  order 
to  render  them  gas  proof  and  water  proof.     The  reason 


306       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

for  the  urgent  need  of  this  type  of  ration  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  mustard  gas  as  employed  by  the  Ger- 
mans in  their  warfare,  destroyed  all  food  products  with 
which  it  came  in  contact.  These  rations  were  to  be 
used  in  the  first  line  trenches,  in  order  that  troops  in 
these  lines  could  retain  their  position  after  a  mustard 
gas  attack  and  still  have  necessary  food.  Each  gal- 
vanized iron  container  held  enough  food  for  twenty-five 
men  for  one  day.  The  cost  of  the  total  amount  of  re- 
serve rations  furnished  during  the  war  was  about  $6,- 
000,000. 

This  depot  was  also  called  upon  to  produce  the 
Armour  Emergency  Rations.  A  twelve-ounce  can  was 
used,  containing  nine  ounces  of  ground  meat  and  wheat 
mixture,  and  three  ounces  of  chocolate.  This  was  strict- 
ly an  emergency  ration  to  be  carried  on  the  person  of  the 
soldier,  and  was  only  to  be  opened  upon  an  order  from 
a  commissioned  officer,  when  all  other  supplies  had 
failed. 

This  Division  placed  orders  for  2,000,000  of  these 
rations  and  before  the  first  million  was  completed,  a  call 
came  from  Washington  ordering  that  everything  pos- 
sible be  done  to  triple  the  output  of  this  ration.  With 
the  cooperation  of  Armour  &  Co.,  and  the  American 
Can  Company  (who  were  manufacturing  the  twelve 
ounce  cans)  and  by  changing  the  method  of  packing, 
this  Division  was  able  to  triple  the  output  of  this  ration. 
The  manufacture  of  this  emergency  ration  continued 
up  to  the  date  of  the  armistice. 

The  purchase  of  milk  was  another  big  item,  and  it 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  307 

was  necessary  to  develop  a  corps  of  inspectors  to  handle 
this  particular  commodity  alone.  The  Grocery  Division, 
from  the  month  of  June  to  the  end  of  the  war,  pur- 
chased nearly  1,500,000  cases  of  evaporated  milk,  the 
greater  portion  of  which  was  shipped  directly  overseas. 

About  August,  1917,  the  Depot  Quartermaster  ef- 
fected a  reorganization  of  the  office  in  order  to  care 
for  the  large  volume  of  work  which  was  daily  increasing, 
and  separate  divisions  were  formed  under  the  headings 
of  the  various  supplies  handled  by  the  Quartermaster 
Corps. 

All  plants  equipped  for  the  manufacture  of  cloth- 
ing and  equipage  were  listed  and  classified  according 
to  their  capacity.  Inspections  were  made  by  an  army 
officer  as  to  sanitary  conditions  and  recommendations 
forwarded  to  the  Purchasing  and  Manufacturing  Quar- 
termaster, Washington,  D.  C. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  sponging  and  shrink- 
ing all  cloth,  and  this  cloth  was  pro-rated  to  clothing- 
manufacturers  with  a  view  to  keeping  them  all  occupied 
and  allowing  no  accumulation  of  material  at  any  one 
plant.  As  soon  as  shoe  lasts  were  supplied  shoe  In- 
spectors were  employed  and  sent  to  the  factories 
throughout  the  Middle  West  with  which  contracts  had 
been  made,  and  the  contracts  transferred  to  this  depot. 
The  Clothing  and  Equipage  Division  of  the  Depot  was 
established  about  July  1,  1917  and  on  November  11, 
1918,  there  were  about  twenty-five  officers  on  duty  with 
this  division.  The  office  force  proper,  not  including  the 
clerical  force  of  the  C.  &    E.    Branch,    Warehousing 


808       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Division,  consisted  of  165  civilian  employees  and  15  en- 
listed men.  There  were  661  inspectors,  228  folders 
and  30  stampers  on  the  division  rolls. 

The  Motor  Division  was  organized  in  June,  1917. 
From  June  1,  1917,  to  May,  1919,  purchases  of  motor 
vehicles  and  equipment  for  the  use  of  the  army  were 
made  by  this  Depot  amounting  to  about  $125,000,000. 

On  October  1,  1917,  on  instructions  from  the  Quarter- 
master General,  the  Forage  Division  of  the  Depot  was 
organized.  This  Division  was  to  purchase  and  dis- 
tribute all  oats,  other  grains  and  bran  required  by 
the  army,  both  in  this  country  and  overseas.  The  Pur- 
chasing Quartermaster  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  was 
charged  with  the  supply  of  all  hay  and  straw  and  their 
distribution.  In  order  to  carry  a  reserve  stock  of  oats 
and  bran,  arrangements  were  made  with  thirty-four 
elevator  companies  to  store  oats  for  the  Government. 
The  amount  of  storage  room  secured  in  the  thirty-four 
elevators  totaled  2,800,000  bushels,  payment  being 
made  only  if  the  space  was  actually  occupied.  These 
elevators  were  located  at  practically  all  important  ter- 
minal markets,  including  such  places  as  Chicago,  Minne- 
apolis, Omaha,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  Fort  Worth, 
Texas,  Cairo,  Illinois,  Milwaukee,  Toledo,  Ohio,  and 
Louisville,  Kentucky. 

The  Warehouse  Division  was  established  on  May  4, 
1917,  due  to  the  increased  activities  of  the  Depot  which 
also  indicated  the  unsuitability  of  the  quarters  occupied 
at  115  East  Ontario  St.  Captain,  later  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Unmacht  was  placed  in  charge.     After  a  can- 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  309 

vas  of  the  city,  a  site  at  2615  Iron  Street  was  chosen. 
It  was  occupied  by  a  Subsidiary  of  Montgomery  Ward 
&  Co.  and  through  the  assistance  of  the  officials  of  this 
latter  corporation  occupancy  was  secured.  On  July  24, 
1917,  lease  was  made  of  the  entire  Hawthorne  Race 
Track,  a  plot  of  117  acres,  including  all  its  buildings. 
Additional  buildings  of  a  temporary  character  were  im- 
mediately put  under  construction  by  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster and  a  switch  connection  made  with  one  of  the 
belt  lines.  Later,  and  again  with  the  consent  and  as- 
sistance of  the  officials  of  Montgomery  Ward  &  Co.,  a 
large  concrete  warehouse  on  West  39th  St.  was  secured. 
Seeing  that  the  available  storage  would  prove  inade- 
quate, plans  were  drawn  and  appropriation  secured  for 
the  erection  of  one-story  bungalows  on  the  corner  of 
39th  Street  and  Ashland  Avenue,  on  ground  leased 
from  the  Central  Manufacturing  District.  Three  build- 
ings were  erected,  each  96  feet  wide  and  1325  feet  long, 
of  hollow  tile  construction,  equipped  with  heat,  electric 
lights  and  complete  sprinkler  system.  The  Depot  grew 
from  37,500  square  feet  to  one  containing  5,144,900 
square  feet.  Colonel  Albert  D.  Kniskern  was  the  Depot 
Quartermaster. 

el  paso. — Supplied  one  camp  of  about  23,000  men. 

fort  sam  Houston. — Supplied  four  camps  compris- 
ing approximately  70,715  men. 

jeffersonvelle. — This  Depot  supplied  no  troops.  It 
was  located  in  the  center  of  a  manufacturing  district 
and  was  the  general  procurement  depot  for  vehicles, 
harness,  numerous  articles  of  equipages,  hardware,  field 


310        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ranges  and  field  bake  ovens  and  their  equipment.  This 
Depot  since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  had  been  manu- 
facturing flannel  shirts  on  a  moderate  scale,  and  from 
time  to  time  the  uniforms  for  Civil  War  veterans  at  the 
Soldiers'  Homes,  and  had  thus  given  partial  employ- 
ment to  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  widows  and 
relatives  of  Civil  War  veterans. 

In  the  fall  of  1916  it  was  decided  to  establish  at  the 
Jeffersonville  Depot  a  small  plant  for  the  manufacture 
of  outer  clothing,  coats,  breeches  and  overcoats,  and  a 
small  appropriation  was  granted  by  Congress  to  enable 
the  necessary  alterations  to  be  made  in  the  buildings  and 
to  purchase  the  machinery  required.  In  the  manufac- 
ture of  the  shirts  the  cloth  had  been  cut  with  shears,  and 
the  sewing  women  paid  at  the  end  of  the  month.  Elec- 
trical cutting  knives  were  installed  and  arrangements 
made  for  paying  the  women  daily  when  the  garments 
were  turned  in. 

As  the  number  of  sewing  women  employed  increased, 
sub-stations  were  inaugurated  at  Frankfort  and  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  at  New  Albany  and  other  places  in 
Indiana,  the  largest  of  these  being  a  sub-station  at 
the  Louisville  Armory  which  alone  handled  the  work 
of  10,000  women.  The  number  of  sewing  women  was 
increased  until  a  total  of  some  22,000  was  reached. 

All  the  foregoing  came  about  in  view  of  the  very 
evident  approaching  hostilities  in  Europe  and  our  ac- 
tual entrance  into  the  World  War.  When  it  seemed 
quite  evident  that  the  United  States  would  soon  be 
brought  into  war  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  begin  to 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  311 

prepare  in  ample  time  so  as  not  to  be  found  wanting 
when  the  crisis  arrived. 

But  this  constituted  only  a  portion  of  the  large  quan- 
tities of  purchases  of  supplies  and  raw  materials  that 
were  made,  such  as  cotton  goods,  stoves,  field  ranges, 
bake  ovens,  and  hardware  of  all  descriptions.  Many 
of  these  were  largely  entered  into  prior  to  the  declara- 
tion of  hostilities  in  anticipation  of  that  event,  and 
others  at  that  time  and  thereafter. 

The  gathering  together  of  such  large  quantities  of 
materials  and  supplies  must  necessarily  be  followed 
by  an  ample  provision  of  means  to  take  care  of  them. 
This  was  done  by  the  construction  of  large  warehouses, 
comprehensive  plans  of  development  being  laid  out, 
and  the  work  rapidly  pushed  to  completion.  To  handle 
goods  incoming  and  outgoing  it  was  necessary  to  in- 
crease the  railroad  trackage,  putting  in  additional  sid- 
ings and  laying  tracks  along  the  new  warehouses,  and 
thus  the  Railway  Transportation  Department  became  a 
very  important  department  in  the  Jeffersonville  Depot, 
handling  as  high  as  700  carloads  a  week. 

On  account  of  the  wearing  effect  of  the  motor  trucks, 
and  to  insure  traffic  at  all  times,  much  road  building 
in  the  Depot  and  its  vicinity  was  necessary  and  thou- 
sands of  cubic  yards  of  cracked  rock  were  utilized  for 
this  purpose. 

As  an  adjunct  in  securing  supplies  new  shops  were 
erected  and  shops  on  hand  were  enlarged.  A  modern 
and  up  to  date  harness  shop  was  built  to  supplement 
the  small  one  then  in  existence,  and  a  new  cloth  shrink- 


312       THE  QUAKTEKM ASTER  CORPS 

ing  plant,  up  to  date  in  every  particular,  was  installed. 
A  large  building  was  constructed  for  shoe  repairing,  and 
the  carpenter  shops  and  paint  shops  were  placed  on  a 
large  scale  by  new  construction. 

But  to  handle  this  increased  volume  of  business  the 
necessary  labor  and  office  personnel  had  to  be  secured. 
This  was  done  by  consistently  augmenting  and  carefully 
selecting  the  force  until  it  had  increased  from  some- 
thing like  two  or  three  officers  and  150  civilian  em- 
ployees in  October,  1916,  to  something  like  100  officers 
and  8,000  civilian  employees  in  January,  1918,  and 
this  entirely  exclusive  of  the  women  sewing  on  shirts. 
The  increase  in  personnel  again  brought  in  new  com- 
plications and  necessities,  such  as  means  of  transporta- 
tion of  employees  to  and  from  the  Depot,  medical  as- 
sistance in  the  form  of  first  aid  for  the  injured,  ambu- 
lances, doctors  and  nurses,  all  of  which  was  arranged. 
A  large  cafeteria  was  established  to  provide  means  of 
furnishing  food  lunches  within  the  depot  grounds. 

Immediately  at  the  beginning  of  hostilities  a  secret 
service  was  established  which  operated  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  JefTersonville  and  Louisville  and  did  very  effi- 
cient work.  This  was  supplemented  by  a  depot  guard 
to  insure  the  security  against  theft  and  fire  of  the  prop- 
erty in  buildings  and  in  open  storage.  This  was  in- 
creased as  requirements  proved  necessary  and  formed 
a  very  efficient  organization. 

Early  in  1917,  in  preparation  for  the  War,  large 
orders  for  transportation  were  received  at  the  Depot. 
These  orders  became  so  great  that  by  the  fall  of  1917 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  313 

practically  the  entire  vehicle  and  farm  wagon  industry, 
up  to  probably  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  its  entire  output, 
was  engaged  in  carrying  on  this  work  for  the  Jefferson- 
ville  Depot.  The  entire  industry  as  a  unit  was  put  be- 
hind the  Government.  The  contracts  were  so  far  reach- 
ing that  there  was  no  available  lumber,  and  in  its  proj- 
ect the  Jeft'ersonville  Depot  had  to  look  forward  as  far 
as  the  standing  trees  in  the  forest. 

It  was  practically  the  creation  of  a  new  industry,  as 
very  few  of  the  contractors  had  previously  manufac- 
tured these  particular  types  of  vehicles,  and  none  in  the 
magnitude  involved.  In  addition  there  was  much  ex- 
perimental work  since  the  drinking  water  wagons,  also 
the  ration  carts,  drinking  water  carts,  hand  carts  and 
medical  carts  were  all  new  types  of  vehicles,  the  necess- 
ity of  which  was  developed  by  the  war,  and  for  the  pro- 
duction of  which  only  very  indefinite  descriptions  of  the 
essential  requirements  were  given. 

The  amount  of  harness  required  involved  the  use  of 
a  large  quantity  of  leather,  as  well  as  a  practical  con- 
solidation and  expansion  of  the  entire  harness  industry 
of  the  country,  as  had  been  the  case  with  the  Vehicle 
and  Farm  Implement  Association  in  the  production  of 
the  necessary  vehicles. 

This  was  accomplished  through  the  assistance  of  the 
Harness  Manufacturers'  Association  and  with  the  same 
results  that  were  obtained  in  regard  to  vehicles,  that  is, 
the  production  of  harness  was  always  in  advance  of 
the  requirements. 

An  account  has  previously  been  given,  under  the  title 


314       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Remount  Division  and  Remount  Service,  of  the  arrange- 
ments made  to  secure  the  vehicles  and  harness  which 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  was  called  upon  to  supply, 
and  reference  has  been  made  to  the  effort  exerted  to 
secure  the  necessary  commissioned  personnel  to  enable 
proper  inspections  to  be  made  of  the  harness.  The  dis- 
advantages and  embarrassments  under  which  the  Depot 
labored  because  the  necessary  personnel  to  protect  the 
interests  of  the  Government  and  insure  the  manufacture 
and  delivery  of  supplies  of  suitable  quality  was  not  sup- 
plied are  evident. 

A  considerable  amount  of  experimental  work  in  the 
development  of  a  suitable  type  of  Rolling  Kitchen  had 
been  done  at  the  Jeffersonville  Depot.  During  the 
prosecution  of  this  work,  Engineer  W.  A.  Dorsey,  at- 
tached to  the  Depot,  devised  an  oil  burner  for  use  with 
the  field  ranges.  This  device  was  also  applied  to  a 
type  of  rolling  kitchen  sent  to  the  Mexican  border  for 
trial,  and  proved  entirely  successful.  A  duplex  type 
of  the  Dorsey  oil  burner  adaptable  for  field  bakeries  was 
also  devised.  The  Dorsey  oil  burner  is  thus  adaptable 
for  use  with  rolling  kitchens,  field  bakeries,  army 
ranges,  Sibley  tent  stoves,  field  ranges,  etc.,  for  heating 
and  cooking  purposes. 

There  were  manufactured  during  the  calendar  year 
1917  by  the  sewing  women  at  this  Depot: 

Shirts  Alone 

Shirts    3,402,358  Jan.,      1917 84,935 

Bed  Sacks    2,026,000  Feb.,      1917 66,880 

Barracks  Bags 126,000  Mar.,     1917 53,045 

Coats  3,700  April,    1917 44,630 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS 


315 


Coats,   Denim    2,620,000 

Mattress  Covers 67,000 

Trousers,  O.D 155,000 

Trousers,   Denim 212,000 


Total    8,612,058 


May, 

June, 

July, 

Aug., 

Sept., 

Oct., 

Nov., 

Dec., 


1917 84,750 

1917 117,280 

1917 293,220 

1917 435,994 

1917 512,530 

1917 646,354 

1917 601,320 

1917 461,420 


Total   3,402,358 

There  were  manufactured  during  the  calendar  year 
1918: 


Shirts,  O.D 2,371,000 

Bed  Sacks 532,000 

Barracks  Bags    6,000 

Breeches,  Cotton 165,000 

Breeches,  Wool   65,000 

Coats,  Denim 123,000 

Coats,   Denim    121,000 

Mattress  Covers 62,000 

Trousers,  Denim  ....  465,000 

Breeches,  Wool 111,000 


Jan., 

Feb., 
Mar., 
April, 
May, 


Shirts  Alone 

1918 394,850 

1918 341,890 

1918 421,221 

1918 447,320 

1918 371,480 


Total   1,976,761 


Total  4,021,000 


The  sewing  women  employed  during  the  calendar 
year  1916  were  1,545.  This  number  was  increased  so 
that  there  were  on  the  rolls  December  31,  1917,  ap- 
proximately 22,000  women. 

In  order  to  distribute  shirts,  secure  the  highest  pro- 
duction, and  accommodate  employees  in  the  neighboring 
country,  which  included  that  as  far  north  as  Indian- 
apolis and  as  far  east  as  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  and 
similarly  in  other  directions,  there  were  established  sub- 
stations, the  first  being  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  on 
July  16,  1917.    In  the  first  week  this  sub-depot  handled 


316       THE  QUAKTEKMASTER  CORPS 

the  work  of  3,000  operators.      Other  sub-depots  were 
subsequently  established  as  follows : 

Scottsburg,   Ind.,   opened  August   6,    1917;    1,050   sewing 

operatives,  closed  December  7,   1918; 
Frankfort,  Ky.,   opened   August   18,   1917;    2,366   sewing 

operatives;  closed  December  4,  1918; 
Louisville,  Ky.,   opened  October    1,   1917;    10,020   sewing 

operatives,  closed  December  20,   1918; 
Madison,    Ind.,    opened    March    14,    1918;     1,822    sewing 

operatives,  closed  December  2,   1918. 

These  were  all  in  addition  to  the  sewing  women  whose 
work  was  handled  at  the  JefTersonville  Depot  proper. 

Shirts  for  all  sub-stations  were  cut  at  the  Jefferson- 
ville  Depot,  where  the  cutting  capacity  was  increased 
to  over  30,000  shirts  per  day.  At  two  yards  per  shirt, 
this  means  60,000  yards  or  33.9  miles  of  shirting  flan- 
nel cut  daily,  for  seven  days  in  the  week.  The  records 
of  this  Depot  show  that  during  the  month  of  April, 
1917,  $29,100  was  paid  to  home  workers  for  the  manu- 
facture of  shirts;  that  during  August,  1917,  this  sum 
reached  $198,900. 

Expansion  of  the  Jeffersonville  Depot 

January  1,  1917 — 17.2  acres,  including  251,620  sq.  ft.  covered 
storage. 

November  11,  1918 — 145  acres,  including  3,711,690  sq.  ft.  cov- 
ered storage. 
Railroads 

January  1,  1917 — 2  freight  tracks,  total  length  1,000  ft.,  car 
capacity   19. 

November  11,  1918 — 12  freight  tracks,  total  length  15,365  ft., 
car  capacity  348. 

Before  the  war,  carloads  handled  in  and  out — 15  to  20  daily. 

During  the  height  of  the  war,  carloads  handled  in  and  out — 
80  to  100  daily. 
Personnel 

January    1,    1917 — 2   Officers — 160   civilian   employees — 1,545 
sewing  women. 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  317 

Spring,  1918—100  Officers— 7,500  civilian  employees— approx- 
imately 22,000  sewing  women. 
Office  Space 

January  1,  1917—4489  sq.  ft. 
November  11,  1918—59,605  sq.  ft. 
Purchase 

April  6,  1917,  to  November  11,  1918. 

General  Supplies   $100,521,185.53 

Raw  Materials  and  Paints 91,561.28 

Clothing  and  Equipage 21,843,526.07 

Total    $122,456,272.88 

Colonel  W.  S.  Wood,  Quartermaster  Corps,  was  the 
Depot  Quartermaster. 

new  Orleans  :  This  depot  was  the  principal  source 
of  supply  for  two  camps.  It  was  also  the  headquarters 
for  shipping  to  the  Canal  Zone.  The  depot  supplied 
approximately  54,000  men. 

new  york:  After  the  outbreak  of  the  war  there 
were  many  German  and  Austrian  steamships  interned 
at  New  York.  Many  of  these  vessels  were  berthed  at 
the  Docks  at  IToboken,  New  Jersey,  owned  or  control]  )d 
by  the  North  German  Lloyd  and  Hamburg-American 
Steamship  Companies. 

Anticipating  the  entry  of  this  country  into  the  war, 
Depot  Quartermaster  at  New  York,  Brigadier  General 
John  M.  Carson  (then  Colonel)  Quartermaster  Corps, 
wrote  the  Quartermaster  General  in  December,  1916, 
urging  that  plans  be  prepared  to  seize  the  vessels  and 
the  docks  on  behalf  of  the  War  Department  the  instant 
that  war  was  declared.  Upon  the  declaration  of  war 
on  April  6,  1917,  the  German  vessels  in  the  United 
States  ports  were  immediately  seized  by  the  representa- 


318       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

tives  of  the  Treasury  Department.  The  docks  at  Ho- 
boken  of  the  two  German  steamship  companies  were, 
however,  not  included,  except  in  so  far  as  it  was  neces- 
sary to  safeguard  the  seized  vessels.  An  investigation 
was  made  by  the  Depot  Quartermaster  and  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  docks  were  technically  owned  by  domes- 
tic corporations  that  had  been  organized  by  the  North 
German  Lloyd  and  Hamburg-American  Steamship 
Companies  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 
The  investigation  showed  that  bonds  had  been  issued 
and  mortgages  given  which  were  owned  or  controlled 
by  American  financial  institutions,  and  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster recommended  that  the  docks  be  taken  under 
lease,  at  rentals  sufficient  to  cover  the  fixed  charges  on 
the  two  properties.  The  Depot  Quartermaster  was  di- 
rected to  proceed  to  Washington  and  after  a  conference 
held  with  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  latter  presented  the 
matter  to  the  President  who  approved  the  recommenda- 
tion, made  by  Brigadier  General  (then  Colonel)  Bethel 
of  the  Judge  Advocates  Department,  that  the  docks 
should  be  seized  at  once  under  the  provisions  of  the  Act 
of  Congress,  approved  August  29,  1916.  On  the  after- 
noon of  April  16,  1916,  instructions  were  given  the 
Depot  Quartermaster  to  take  possession  of  the  docks,  by 
direction  of  the  President,  and  to  call  upon  the  Com- 
manding General,  Department  of  the  East,  for  the 
necessary  guard.  The  representatives  of  the  North 
German  Lloyd  and  the  Hamburg- American  companies 
were  informed  by  the  Depot  Quartermaster  that  he  took 
possession  of  the  properties  in  the  name  of  the  Gov- 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  319 

ernment  from  that  day.  On  April  18,  11)16,  the  Depot 
Quartermaster  with  a  Battalion  of  Infantry  from  Gov- 
ernors Island,  New  York,  took  physical  possession  of 
the  docks  and  relieved  the  representatives  of  the  Col- 
lector of  Customs,  Port  of  New  York,  of  further  re- 
sponsibility in  connection  therewith. 

On  May  21,  1917,  instructions  were  sent  from  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  to  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster to  the  effect  that  orders  would  soon  be  made 
to  send  to  France  an  Expeditionary  Force,  consisting 
of  Infantry,  Field  Artillery,  Medical  Corps,  Signal 
Corps  and  Quartermaster  Corps  troops,  that  would  ag- 
gregate about  12,000  men  and  2,000  animals,  and  that 
it  was  desired  to  embark  the  Expeditionary  Force,  if 
possible,  on  June  3rd.  A  list  of  vessels  controlled  by 
the  steamship  representatives  in  New  York  was  fur- 
nished and  the  Depot  Quartermaster  directed  to  confer 
with  the  steamship  representatives  and  the  Com- 
mandant of  the  Navy  Yard  at  New  York,  and  select  the 
vessels  and  have  them  properly  fitted  out,  manned  and 
armed  for  the  voyage.  Of  the  list  of  vessels  some  were 
in  port  discharging  or  loading  cargoes,  some  were  due 
to  arrive  shortly,  and  one  or  two  were  not  due  until 
June  1st.  As  a  result  of  the  conference  it  was  reported 
that  fourteen  vessels  would  be  required,  ten  for  troops 
and  four  for  animals  and  supplies,  and  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  prepare  them  to  sail  in  convoy  before 
June  9th  and  probably  not  until  June  10th  or  11th. 
June  10th  was  fixed  as  the  date  of  departure  and  orders 
were  issued  for  the  concentration  of  troops  and  supplies 


320       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

at  New  York.  The  composition  of  the  Expeditionary 
Force  was  modified  by  substituting  Infantry  for  Field 
Artillery  and  increasing  the  number  of  animals  to  2,823. 

Immediately  the  various  Supply  Departments  began 
shipping  supplies  to  the  Depot  Quartermaster  without 
first  inquiring  whether  such  supplies  could  be  handled. 
One  Supply  Department  alone  shipped  12;000  tons. 
The  Quartermaster  General  invited  the  attention  of  the 
Chief  of  Staff  to  this  lack  of  coordination  and  pointed 
out  that  such  action  would  result  in  the  same  conges- 
tion which  existed  at  Tampa,  Florida,  in  the  Spanish 
War,  unless  steps  were  taken  to  prevent  it.  He  re- 
quested an  order  directing  that  no  supplies  be  forwarded 
to  New  York  for  shipment  to  France  until  the  Depot 
Quartermaster  there  had  been  previously  consulted  to 
ascertain  if  the  supplies  could  be  handled. 

The  Quartermaster  General  recommended  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Port  of  Embarkation  at  New  York,  and 
the  appointment  of  a  Commandant  of  the  Base  to  co- 
ordinate all  matters  pertaining  to  the  shipment  of  troops 
and  supplies  to  France.  No  action  having  been  taken 
on  this  recommendation,  it  was  renewed  and  request 
made  that  Colonel  John  M.  Carson  be  designated  as 
Commandant  of  the  Base.  This  resulted  in  directions 
to  the  Commanding  General,  Department  of  the  East, 
to  designate  a  line  officer  to  act  as  Commandant  of  the 
Base,  and  on  June  6,  1917,  Colonel  J.  C.  F.  Tillson  was 
appointed  to  act  as  Port  Commander.  This  officer  de- 
voted himself  untiringly  to  the  work  both  day  and 
night,  and  remained  in  charge  until  July  31st  when 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  321 

the  Port  of  Embarkation  was  established  at  New  York 
and  a  general  officer  designated  to  the  command. 

Through  the  splendid  support  and  assistance  of  the 
officials  of  the  companies  whose  vessels  were  to  be  used, 
aided  by  their  organizations,  and  the  Naval  officers  of 
the  New  York  Navy  Yard,  the  work  of  preparing  the 
vessels  for  troops  and  animals  was  prosecuted  day  and 
night.  All  the  shipyards  in  the  harbor  capable  of  hand- 
ling work  of  this  character  were  called  upon  for  as- 
sistance, and  responded  fully.  It  was  found  that  the 
guns  required  for  the  armament  of  some  of  the  vessels 
had  to  be  shipped  from  places  outside  of  New  York, 
otherwise  the  vessels  would  have  been  ready  by  the  date 
set  by  the  War  Department  for  the  sailing.  One  ves- 
sel, the  Finland,  of  the  American  Line,  did  not  reach 
New  York  until  June  1st,  but  she  was  unloaded,  refitted 
and  ready  to  sail  on  June  10th,  as  she  had  already  been 
armed,  and  therefore  the  time  required  to  mount  the 
guns  was  saved. 

Practically  all  the  troops  forming  this  first  expedition 
were  brought  from  interior  points,  a  large  part  of  them 
from  military  posts  and  camps  in  Texas.  There  was 
no  embarkation  camp  prepared  for  this  concentration, 
and  it  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  regulate  the  arrival 
of  troops  so  that  they  could  march  directly  from  the 
train  to  the  vessel.  It  was  also  necessary  to  regulate, 
as  far  as  possible,  the  arrival  of  equipment  and  supplies, 
as  the  docks,  in  spite  of  their  large  capacity,  were  not 
adequate  to  store  all  of  the  freight  that  was  to  accom- 
pany the  expedition. 


322        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

When  the  supplies  were  being  loaded  on  the  vessels, 
a  strike  for  higher  wages  to  be  paid  to  the  stevedores 
was  threatened.  Learning  that  men  to  replace  them 
could  not  be  secured  in  time  to  permit  the  sailing  of 
the  vessels  on  the  date  designated  the  Depot  Quarter- 
master was  authorized  to  make  the  advance  requested. 
The  Quartermaster  General  then  requested  authority  to 
enlist  a  force  of  stevedores  to  handle  the  vessels  in  the 
Government  service.  This  recommendation  was  op- 
posed by  the  labor  leaders  in  New  York  and  the  author- 
ity was  not  given.  Later  these  leaders  withdrew  their 
objection  and  a  force  to  guard  the  docks  and  afford  pro- 
tection against  fire  was  organized.  Its  composition  was 
such  that  there  were  men  trained  in  stevedoring  includ- 
ed in  the  organization. 

Shortly  after  the  sailing  of  the  first  expedition  orders 
were  made  to  prepare  for  a  second  expedition  to  be  em- 
barked as  soon  as  the  ships  could  be  secured,  and  not 
later  than  the  return  of  the  ships  which  carried  the  first 
expedition.  Colonel  Carson  had  been  assigned,  in  ad- 
dition to  his  other  duties  as  General  Superintendent 
Army  Transport  Service  at  New  York,  and  commenced 
the  organization  of  the  Transport  Office  with  two  officers 
and  four  civilian  clerks  from  the  personnel  of  the  Quar- 
termaster Depot.  The  organization  expanded  rapidly 
to  meet  the  constantly  increasing  demands,  until  on  No- 
vember 1,  1917,  it  consisted  of  63  officers  and  588 
civilian  employees,  exclusive  of  the  stevedores  employed 
on  the  docks  in  connection  with  the  loading  and  dis- 
charging of  the  vessels. 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  323 

Mr.  P.  A.  S.  Franklin,  President,  International  Mer- 
cantile Marine  Company;  Mr.  II.  Ii.  Raymond,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Clyde  Line  Steamship  Co. ;  Mr.  Clifford 
Mallory,  connected  with  the  Mallory  Steamship  Line; 
Mr.  A.  G.  Smith,  President  of  the  Ward  Line  Steam- 
ship Co. ;  Mr.  S.  G.  Schermerhom,  Executive  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  Fruit  Company;  and  Mr.  E. 
D.  Page,  Chairman  of  the  Advisory  Committee  appoint- 
ed by  the  President  of  the  National  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  officials  of  the  New  York  Merchants'  As- 
sociation, rendered  most  valuable  assistance  in  the  pre- 
liminary stages  of  the  work. 

Under  the  management  of  the  North  German  Lloyd 
and  the  Hamburg-American  Steamship  Companies,  all 
freight  to  and  from  the  docks  at  Hoboken  had  been 
transported  either  by  lighters  or  trucks.  The  docks  of 
the  North  German  Lloyd  Company  had  been  connected 
by  track  with  the  adjacent  trackage  of  the  Hoboken 
Manufacturers'  Shore  R.  R.,  whose  terminal  was  a  few 
yards  north  of  the  North  German  Lloyd  .  docks,  and 
this  railroad  had  connection  with  practically  all  the 
railroads  entering  New  York.  While  the  track  was 
in  place  the  North  German  Lloyd  Company  had  never 
allowed  the  Railroad  Company  to  run  cars  on  its  docks. 

A  representative  of  the  railroad  company  called  in 
May  on  the  Quartermaster  General  and  made  the 
proposition  to  lease  the  railroad  to  the  Government. 
The  Depot  Quartermaster  upon  instructions  made  a 
thorough  investigation  and  recommended  the  leasing  of 
the  road  for  the  period  of  the  war.     The  matter  was 


324       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  War  and  decision  made 
to  purchase  the  Railroad  at  a  price  to  be  established  by 
a  Board  of  competent  appraisers,  payment  to  be  made 
from  the  contingent  fund  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
President.  The  Depot  Quartermaster  under  instruc- 
tions took  possession  of  the  property  on  July  1,  1917,  in 
the  name  of  the  Government.  Steps  were  at  once  taken 
to  extend  the  trackage  to  the  yards  in  front  of  the 
sheds  of  both  the  North  German  Lloyd  and  the  Ham- 
burg-American docks. 

The  work  of  the  General  Superintendent,  Army 
Transport  Service,  increased  so  rapidly  that  Colonel 
Carson  was  relieved  as  Depot  Quartermaster  on  July 
15,  1917,  by  Colonel  Thomas  Slavens,  Quartermaster 
Corps. 

By  General  Orders,  No.  102,  War  Department,  dated 
July  30,  1917,  there  was  created  in  the  office  of  the 
Chief  of  Staff  a  section  to  take  charge  of  the  embarka- 
tion of  troops  and  supplies  for  transatlantic  transporta- 
tion and  to  exercise  under  the  Secretary  of  War  the  di- 
rect control  incident  to  this  service.  By  direction  of 
the  Secretary  of  War,  Primary  Ports  of  Embarka- 
tion were  organized  at  New  York  City  and  Hampton 
Roads,  Virginia,  and  officers,  with  suitable  staffs,  as- 
signed to  their  command. 

By  this  order  all  control  of  all  matters  connected 
with  the  shipments  of  troops  and  supplies  was  taken 
from  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  imposed  upon  the 
Chief  of  Staff,  upon  whom  the  responsibility  for  the 
proper  execution  of  the  work  also  vested. 


QUAKTERMASTEK  DEPOTS  325 

The  New  York  Depot,  located  as  it  was  in  1917,  was 
necessarily  so  related  to  the  equipment  of  new  levies  of 
troops  and  to  the  supply  of  the  troops  in  France,  that 
its  expansion  had  to  precede  all  other  operations,  and 
its  development  anticipate  all  increases  in  our  forces. 
This  was  true  in  all  its  activities,  including  Personnel, 
Warehouses,  Wharves,  Clothing  and  Equipment,  For- 
age, Fuel,  Hardware,  Transportation,  both  land  and 
water,  Stationery,  Building  Materials,  Fire  Apparatus, 
Cooking  Apparatus  and  Utensils,  etc.,  and  all  the  ac- 
tivities depending  upon  them. 

The  personnel  at  the  beginning  of  1917  was  small — 
there  was  not  to  exceed  ten  officers  and  eighty  em- 
ployees at  the  New  York  Depot.  Within  a  few  months, 
the  number  had  increased  to  more  than  300  officers  and 
11,000  employees,  including  about  every  known  occupa- 
tion or  trade,  as  the  purchases  extended  to  so  many  arti- 
cles and  experts  in  all  lines  were  required.  The  num- 
ber of  different  items  purchased  finally  reached  was  near 
the  200,000  mark.  Watchmen  had  to  be  employed  and 
organized  for  guarding  the  various  storehouses,  wharves, 
etc.,  and  fire  organizations  perfected,  which  required  a 
large  personnel.  The  New  York  Depot  included  activ- 
ities in  New  York  City,  Brooklyn,  Governors  Island, 
Hoboken  and  other  cities  outside  of  New  York. 

Warehouses:  The  facilities  available  in  New  York 
and  on  Governors  Island  early  in  1917  were  hardly  suf- 
ficient for  peace  requirements  and  totally  inadequate  for 
war.  With  the  development  of  the  Transportation  Serv- 
ice for  France  it  was  determined  to    occupy    a    large 


326       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

amount  of  storage  space  of  the  Hamburg- American  and 
North  German  Lloyd  Steamship  Wharves.  This  subse- 
quently proved  to  be  inadequate,  and  besides  the  space 
was  required  for  shipping  purposes,  so  it.  was  necessary 
to  increase  the  warehouse  facilities.  Governors  Island 
with  more  than  100  acres  of  land  available,  offered  im- 
mediate relief.  Other  sites  examined  required  much 
time  and  preparation,  whereas  the  Governors  Island 
project  would  permit  storage  facilities  within  sixty 
days.  A  plan  was  prepared  for  this,  which  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Department  Commander  and  by  the  War 
Department.  Work  was  to  be  done  in  accordance  with 
the  plans,  by  the  purchase  of  material,  a  construction 
firm  to  furnish  the  labor.  The  work  was  pushed  rapid- 
ly, but  was  delayed  for  ten  days,  because  of  objection  to 
the  use  of  Governors  Island  site  for  Depot  purposes, 
made  by  the  Depot  Committee  of  the  Council  of  Na- 
tional Defense,  which  committee  favored  a  site  located 
on  Newark  Bay.  The  Depot  Quartermaster  had  previ- 
ously examined  the  Newark  Bay  site  and  reported  that, 
in  his  opinion,  it  was  not  suitable.  A  Board  of  Officers 
was  sent  from  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General 
to  investigate  the  site  and  submit  a  report.  The  re- 
port was  adverse  to  the  selection  of  the  Newark  Bay 
site,  and  the  Quartermaster  General  approved  the  re- 
port and  adopted  the  recommendation.  The  stoppage 
of  the  work  was  unfortunate  as  it  delayed  the  com- 
pletion to  some  extent. 

When  work  was  resumed,  it  was  pushed  so  that  some 
of  the  storehouses  became  available  in  a  short  time, 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  327 

and  by  the  end  of  the  year  the  railway  ferry,  dock  and 
storehouse  afforded  such  facilities  that  the  unprecedent- 
ed activities  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  could  be  car- 
ried on.  Efforts  to  obtain  storage  facilities  in  New 
York  City  indicated  that  such  as  were  required  there 
could  not  be  found,  nor  could  such  existing  facilities 
be  found  that  could  be  vacated  in  any  reasonable  time. 
Such  buildings  as  could  be  utilized  were  rented  or 
seized  and  taken  over  by  the  Government.  These  build- 
ings with  such  space  as  they  afforded,  and  with  the 
Governors  Island  Warehouse,  gave  storage  space  of 
more  than  2,000,000  square  feet  in  and  about  New 
York  City.  Storage  space  was  rented  also  near  the 
factories  supplying  articles  for  Government  use,  which 
relieved  New  York  of  a  great  deal  of  freight  handling. 
In  the  Governors  Island  warehouse,  the  freight  was 
handled  with  great  facility — using,  besides  the  railway, 
electric  trucks,  motor  trucks,  hand  trucks,  stacking 
devices,  roller  transfers,  etc. 

Wharves:  The  facilities  at  Governors  Island  were 
entirely  inadequate  at  the  outbreak  of  war.  Those  of 
the  Transport  Service  at  Hoboken  soon  became  con- 
gested, and  it  was  necessary  to  increase  facilities  at 
Governors  Island  and  secure  more  ship  space  in  New 
York  City.  Furthermore,  a  line  of  ferry  boats  had  to 
be  established  between  New  York  and  Governors  Island. 
Wharves  to  meet  these  requirements  were  secured  or  con- 
structed, and  this  greatly  facilitated  the  handling  of  in- 
coming and  outgoing  freight.      Trucks   went  directly 


328       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

from  New  York  to  warehouse  on  Governors  Island,  the 
same  as  making  deliveries  in  New  York  City. 

Clothing  and  Equipment:  The  procurement  and 
manufacture  of  clothing  and  equipment  had  not  been 
developed  in  the  New  York  Depot,  and  consequently 
had  to  be  initiated  and  firms  induced  to  undertake  the 
manufacture  of  articles  of  clothing,  such  as  were  re- 
quired by  the  Government.  Furthermore  the  supply  of 
cloth  was  a  ruling  factor,  and  all  development  requir- 
ing cloth,  wool  or  cotton  was  directly  dependent  upon 
the  rate  at  which  the  cloth  could  be  supplied. 

The  making  of  underwear  was  a  great  problem  and 
required  the  united  efforts  of  knit  goods  manufacturers 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  department.  Many  sub-depots 
were  established,  to  inspect,  receive  and  ship  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  manufacturers  of  clothing  and  equipment, 
and  this  expedited  greatly  the  shipment  of  such  articles, 
and  relieved  congestion  in  New  York. 

Subsistence:  The  quantity  of  sugar,  coffee,  flour, 
etc.,  purchased  by  the  New  York  Depot  was  enormous. 
Arrangements  had  to  be  made  for  storage  of  meats  for 
at  least  15,000,000  pounds  and  for  approximately  30,- 
000,000  rations.  This  alone  was  a  great  undertaking, 
as  practically  all  articles  except  meats  had  to  be  pur- 
chased by  the  Depot,  so  that  the  entire  transport,  pro- 
curement, storage  and  distribution  fell  on  the  Depot. 
The  troops  in  France  were  supplied  and  the  New  York 
Depot  had  to  prepare  all  shipments  well  in  advance, 
so  that  space  on  transports  could  be  secured.  Much 
forage  was  handled.     Hay  was  used  for  chocking,  and 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  329 

a  large  hay  yard  was  established  in  Ilobokcn  to  meet 
demands  of  transports  for  this  purpose.  Fuel,  how- 
ever, was  taken  over  by  the  Fuel  Administrator  and  al- 
lotment made  to  the  Quartermaster  Department  for  its 
needs. 

Hardware:  This  was  purchased  in  large  quantities 
and  included  many  items  such  as  buckets  and  cans  of 
galvanized  iron;  carpenter,  blacksmith  and  horseshoers' 
tools,  etc. ;  and  many  articles  never  before  used  in  the 
Army  had  to  be  purchased. 

Transportation:  Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the 
war  this  was  established  as  a  separate  service.  The 
Depot,  however,  retained  Harbor,  Rail,  Motor  and 
Horse  Drawn  transportation.  The  rail  transportation 
proved  to  be  a  great  task,  and  to  avoid  congestion,  many 
warehouse  stations  were  established  outside  of  New 
York  City.  The  Depot  on  Governors  Island  with  the 
Railway  Ferry  relieved  this  so  far  as  the  Depot  was 
concerned.  It  could  and  did  handle  the  freight  con- 
signed to  it.  It  was  found  necessary,  however,  to  per- 
mit only  such  articles  as  were  required  to  be  shipped 
into  the  Depot.  The  Ferry  established  for  trucks  to 
Governors  Island  was  not  the  least  of  the  projects  in 
transportation  and  greatly  assisted  the  handling  of 
freight. 

Stationery:  The  amount  required  was  enormous 
and  three  storehouses  350  feet  long  and  00  feet  wide 
were  required  to  handle  this  business. 

Building  Material:     Building  material  required  for 


330       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

construction  of  Depot  on  Governors  Island  and  many 
other  projects  were  handled. 

Fire  Apparatus:  Eire  apparatus  in  large  quantities 
for  France  and  for  the  cantonments  in  the  United 
States  was  purchased.  This  was  in  complete  sets,  and 
included  fire  engines,  chemical  engines,  hook  and  ladder 
trucks,  etc. 

Cooking  apparatus  and  rolling  kitchens  were  sup- 
plied in  large  quantities.  Rolling  kitchens  had  to  be 
developed  almost  from  the  beginning  and  a  type  adapted 
to  the  needs  of  the  Army  developed.  The  work  required 
and  time  spent  in  this  development  were  in  themselves 
large  items. 

Motor  transports,  trucks,  autos  and  spare  parts  for 
same,  and  tools  and  materials  for  the  great  motor  shops 
for  France  required  special  personnel  and  special  num- 
bers. Nothing  like  this  had  previously  been  attempted 
by  the  Army. 

Colonel  Thomas  H.  Slavens,  Quartermaster  Corps, 
was  the  Depot  Quartermaster  at  New  York  from  July 
15,  1917,  until  the  end  of  the  year  1917.  Shortly  after 
that  time  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in  France. 

omaha  :  This  was  a  purchasing  depot  for  subsis- 
tence, fuel  and  forage.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Frank 
A.  Grant,  Quartermaster  Corps,  was  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster, and  was  also  in  charge  of  the  Signal  Corps, 
general  supply  depot  at  that  station. 

Philadelphia  :  Philadelphia  was  wholly  a  manufac- 
turing and  procurement  depot.  It  had  a  large  factory 
operating  division,  in  which  were  made  a  large  number 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  331 

of  uniforms.  It,  was  the  source  of  supply  for  the  Army 
of  chevrons,  ornaments,  flags,  colors,  kitchenware  and 
tableware.  Flags,  colors  and  chevrons  were,  as  far  as 
possible,  made  in  its  own  factory  which  was  noted  for 
the  beauty  and  finish  of  the  embroidery  work  produced 
by  its  operatives. 

This  depot  handled  the  procurement  of  all  the  tex- 
tiles required  for  the  Army,  and  through  the  assistance 
of  Colonel  Harry  J.  Hirsch  (one  of  the  officers  on  duty 
at  the  depot,  and  who  was  assigned  to  assist  the  Com- 
mittee on  Supplies  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense) 
all  the  contracts  for  the  purchase  of  the  cloth  was  made 
by  this  depot.  The  depot  also  arranged  for  the  inspec- 
tion of  the  cloth  on  delivery,  entered  into  contracts  for 
making  the  uniforms,  shipped  the  cloth  to  the  manu- 
facturers who  had  been  given  contracts,  supplied  the 
necessary  furnishings  and  findings  required  in  making 
the  garments,  provided  for  their  thorough  inspection  on 
delivery,  and  finally  filled  the  requisitions  for  the  gar- 
ments to  the  stations  indicated.  In  October,  1917,  a 
Quartermaster's  Purchasing  and  Manufacturing  Office 
was  opened  in  Washington  and  Colonel  Harry  J.  Hirsch 
was  assigned  to  its  charge,  after  which  time  the  Phila- 
delphia Depot  was  relieved  of  the  duty  of  making  con- 
tracts for  the  purchase  of  clothing  and  equipage  ma- 
terials and  the  manufacture  of  clothing  and  other  sup- 
plies. 

Expansion  of  the  Philadelphia'  Depot  during  the 
World's  War:  In  the  early  part  of  1917  the  Phila- 
delphia Quartermaster  Depot  was  located  on  the  Schuyl- 


332       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

kill  River  at  2620  Gray's  Ferry  Road  (the  old  Schuyl- 
kill arsenal  established  by  act  of  Congress,  April  2, 
1794).  It  covered  about  eight  acres  of  ground,  con- 
sisting of  two  sets  of  officers'  quarters,  an  office  building, 
museum  building  (the  oldest,  built  in  1800),  two  large 
warehouses  and  a  few  smaller  ones,  with  a  total  of  ap- 
proximately 200,000  square  feet  of  storage  space. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  depot  was  charged 
with  the  purchasing  and  inspection  of  all  clothing  and 
equipage,  including  band  instruments  of  every  kind, 
furnishings  and  raw  material  which  entered  into  the 
manufacture  of  clothing  and  camp  and  garrison  equip- 
age, and  the  purchase  of  the  supply  of  table  china  and 
glassware  for  the  army. 

It  became  apparent  that  the  facilities  of  the  depot 
were  altogether  inadequate  to  meet  the  requirements 
and  the  Depot  Quartermaster  at  once  set  about  the  work 
of  expansion.  Improvements  were  made  in  the  Gov- 
ernment plant,  which  consisted  in  remodeling  the  mu- 
seum building  and  officers'  quarters,  fitting  them  up 
suitably  for  offices,  and  later  the  erection  of  a  new  three- 
story  office  building ;  the  installation  of  new  freight  ele- 
vators in  the  warehouse  to  permit  the  rapid  handling 
of  freight ;  the  construction  of  a  new  elevated  side  track 
to  allow  the  speedy  loading  and  unloading  of  cars ;  the 
removal  of  small  wooden  structures  to  give  clear  road 
space  and  trucking  areas;  the  conversion  of  the  old 
stables  into  modern  garages,  and  the  erection  of  a  brick 
garage ;  the  replacing  of  the  old  horse-drawn  transporta- 
tion with  motor-propelled  vehicles. 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  333 

In  the  early  part  of  1917,  all  the  textiles  required 
for  the  Army  and  the  manufacture  of  the  clothing  and 
equipment  were  procured!  through  the  Philadelphia 
Depot.  The  following  divisions  and  branches  were  es- 
tablished in  the  Office  of  the  Depot  Quartermaster :  Ad- 
ministration ;  Purchasing  and  Contracting ;  Inspection ; 
Manufacturing;  Supplies;  and  Finance. 

The  purchasing  was  effected  after  advertising  for 
sealed  proposals  and  awards  were  made  to  the  lowest 
responsible  bidder,  and  contracts  entered  into  with 
same.  With  the  exception  of  shoes,  which  were  de- 
livered and  inspected  at  the  Depot  located  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  factory  manufacturing  them,  the  supplies  were 
all  shipped  to  the  Philadelphia  Depot  for  final  inspec- 
tion. After  inspection  and  acceptance,  certified  vouch- 
ers were  forwarded  to  the  Finance  branch  for  payment, 
and  the  supplies  turned  over  to  the  Supplies  branch  for 
warehousing  and  eventual  distribution  to  other  General 
Supply  Depots,  or  sometimes  sent  direct  to  camps  and 
stations  for  the  equipment  of  the  troops. 

All  textile  materials  of  every  description  were  re- 
ceived at  the  Philadelphia  Depot  where  they  were 
placed  on  perching  machines,  measured,  critically  ex- 
amined yard  by  yard,  tested  and  every  precaution  taken 
to  determine  whether  the  materials  complied  with  the 
specifications  in  all  details.  This  required  most  expert 
and  skilful  work  and  was  most  carefully  performed  and 
its  successful  accomplishment  was  a  great  credit  to  the 
officers  and  subordinates  in  charge.  Every  piece  of 
goods,  woolen  and  cotton,  before  being  cut  up  received 


334       THE  QUARTEKMASTEK  COEPS 

this  minute  and  careful  inspection  at  the  Depot.  Upon 
completion  of  this  inspection  the  goods  were  warehoused 
at  the  Depot  and  eventually  either  used  by  the  Manu- 
facturing branch  or  shipped  to  outside  contractors  to 
be  manufactured. 

All  band  instruments  were  likewise  shipped  to  this 
Depot  for  final  inspection  and  each  instrument  was  care- 
fully and  critically  inspected  by  competent  men  to  de- 
termine if  they  were  manufactured  in  accordance  with 
specifications  and  were  of  the  prescribed  pitch.  Under- 
wear, stockings,  leggins  and  overshoes  were  inspected 
carefully  garment  by  garment,  and  piece  by  piece,  and 
all  rubberized  clothing  received  minute  inspection.  All 
uniforms  manufactured  by  outside  contractors  came  to 
this  Depot  for  final  inspection;  also  all  crockery  and 
many  miscellaneous  supplies  including  stationery,  lock- 
ers, field  desks,  etc. 

All  this  work  required  considerable  floor  space  and 
many  employees  at  the  Depot,  but  the  results  justified 
the  labor  and  expense.  It  is  a  difficult  task  to  describe 
in  words  the  magnitude  of  this  work  and  the  skill  and 
thoroughness  with  which  the  task  was  performed. 

The  Supplies  branch  included  warehousing,  caring 
for  requisitions  for  supplies,  preparation  of  supplies  for 
shipment,  handling  of  transportation  facilities  and  the 
clerical  work  incident  thereto.  It  was  a  stupendous 
task  and  was  well  performed. 

The  Manufacturing  branch  had  charge  of  the  factory 
at  the  Depot  in  which  were  made  all  the  flags,  colors 
and  standards  used  in  the  Army;  all  the  tentage  and 


QTTARTEKMASTER  DEPOTS  335 

many  uniforms.  All  special-sized  work  was  done  at 
this  Depot  and  many  flannel  shirts  were  made  there. 
The  uniforms  made  there  were  of  unusually  good  work- 
manship and  were  produced  at  less  cost  than  outside 
work.  It  was  not  possible  to  secure  sufficient  appro- 
priations to  construct  buildings  and  equip  them  with 
the  necessary  machinery  to  manufacture  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  clothing  required  for  the  Army,  nor  was 
there  adequate  place  on  the  Government  reservation 
for  such  buildings.  Moreover,  it  was  a  good  policy 
to  have  outside  contractors  always  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing uniforms  so  as  to  provide  the  means  of  having 
a  large  number  of  additional  uniforms  quickly  made  at 
reasonable  cost  when  an  emergency  arose.  The  Manu- 
facturing branch  was  an  efficient  organization,  and 
turned  out  excellent  work  at  low  cost  and  in  large  quan- 
tities and  was  a  credit  to  the  Depot  and  the  Quarter- 
master Corps.  The  officers  and  the  subordinates  de- 
serve praise  for  the  successful  accomplishment  of  the 
many  difficult  tasks  imposed  upon  them. 

The  Finance  branch  was  charged  with  the  duty  of 
accounting  for  the  funds  and  supplies,  and  made  pay- 
ments due  under  contracts,  and  also  paid  all  the  clerical, 
force,  workmen,  laborers  and  others  employed  at  the 
Depot. 

When  War  was  declared  this  Depot  still  continued 
to  be  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  furnishing  the 
clothing  and  equipage.  All  the  other  Depots  were 
directed  to  assist  and  rendered  most  valuable  aid,  but 
the  Philadelphia  Depot  had  charge  of  the  matter  and 


336        THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 

remained  so  until  the  middle  of  November,  1917,  when 
a  Quartermaster  Manufacturing  and  Purchasing  office 
was  organized  in  Washington,  D.  C.  After  that  time 
the  functions  of  the  Philadelphia  Depot  were  similar 
to  all  the  other  Depots,  but  from  March  until  Novem- 
ber, 1917,  an  enormous  task  was  imposed  upon  this 
Depot. 

Tremendous  quantities  of  every  item  of  quartermas- 
ter supplies,  known  as  clothing  and  equipage,  were  re- 
quired for  the  new  armies  and  had  to  be  supplied  within 
a  very  short  time.  It  was  easy  to  figure  the  quantity 
of  supplies  required,  but  for  a  number  of  years  the 
Philadelphia  Depot  and  a  comparatively  small  number 
of  contractors  were  able  to  furnish  all  the  supplies 
needed.  Commercial  goods  are  not  suitable  for  mili- 
tary use  in  the  field,  except  as  a  temporary  expedient. 

The  European  War  had  drained  the  resources  of  the 
country  in  some  important  items.  Commercial  busi- 
ness was  excellent  and  manufacturers  were  not  par- 
ticularly anxious  to  change  over  to  Government  orders. 
The  country  as  a  whole  had  not  recognized  the  stupen- 
dous importance  and  the  vital  necessity  of  devoting 
itself  entirely  to  the  winning  of  the  War.  Further- 
more, the  demand  for  certain  textiles  necessitated 
changes  in  the  looms  and  many  additions  which  required 
time  to  install.  There  was  a  large  demand  for  raw 
materials  and  in  many  cases  the  supply  was  short  on 
account  of  the  supplies  under  contract  for  the  Allies. 
All  this  threw  additional  work  upon  the  Philadelphia 
Depot  and  the  force  in  all  the  branches  was  increased 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  337 

enormously  and  provided  with  every  possible  means  to 
rapidly  and  efficiently  perform  the  tasks,  but  they  could 
continue  to  function  as  formerly  only  on  a  greatly  en- 
larged scale. 

It  was  seen  immediately  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  continue  shipping  the  textile  materials  and  other  sup- 
plies to  the  Philadelphia  Depot  for  final  inspection. 
The  country  was  therefore  divided  into  zones  and  each 
Depot  made  responsible  for  the  inspection,  acceptance, 
payment  and  distribution  of  the  supplies  manufactured 
in  its  zone.  A  few  additional  depots  were  also  estab- 
lished for  this  purpose,  but  the  Philadelphia  Depot 
still  continued  to  be  charged  with  the  procurement  of 
the  clothing  and  equipment.  However,  the  peace  time 
method  of  advertising  for  sealed  proposals  and  making 
awards  on  same  was  discontinued  in  most  instances  and 
open  market  purchases  effected,  so  it  had  not  only  the 
responsibility  of  procuring  the  supplies  but  also  the 
grave  responsibility  of  deciding  upon  prices,  selecting 
contractors  and  the  exercise  of  good  judgment  in  deter- 
mining the  quantities  which  could  be  produced  by  con- 
tractors. 

Upon  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  Purchasing  and 
Contracting  branch  was  imposed  this  great  task,  and 
when  the  Committee  on  Supplies  of  the  Council  of 
National  Defense  were  by  orders  of  the  Secretary  of 
War  called  upon  to  indicate  where  the  supplies  needed 
could  be  procured,  Colonel  Harry  J.  Hirsch,  who  was 
in  charge  of  that  branch,  was  directed  to  act  in  co- 
operation with  the  Committee  on  Supplies  in  selecting 


338       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

the  contractors  and  arranging  for  the  payment  of  a  just 
and  equitable  price  for  the  supplies.  In  addition,  all 
contracts  for  the  manufacture  of  uniforms,  tentage  and 
other  supplies  continued  to  be  made  by  this  branch,  on 
the  responsibility  of  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  branch, 
Colonel  Hirsch.  The  ability  possessed  by  that  officer 
and  his  excellent  judgment  contributed  very  greatly  to 
the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  work  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Depot,  and  were  also  of  material  assistance  to 
the  Committee  on  Supplies  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  with  which  he  cooperated. 

Anticipating  the  need  of  greater  storage  and  shipping 
facilities,  the  new  Municipal  Pier  on  the  Delaware 
River,  with  a  storage  capacity  of  approximately  150,000 
square  feet  and  all  modern  equipment  for  the  loading 
and  discharge  of  cargo  from  vessels,  was  taken  over 
and  utilized.  This  pier  afterwards  became  the  nucleus 
of  the  embarkation  service  which  was  established.  The 
other  buildings  taken  over  and  leased  were  as  follows: 
The  Merchants'  Warehouse,  Front  and  Federal  Streets, 
approximately  30,000  square  feet  of  storage  space; 
The  Commercial  Museum  at  24th  and  Spruce  Streets, 
125,000  square  feet  storage  capacity;  The  Equitable 
Warehouse,  5th  and  Willow  Streets,  75,000  square  feet 
storage  capacity ;  the  third  and  fourth  floors  of  the  old 
Custom  House  at  5th  and  Walnut  Streets,  about  25,000 
square  feet;  and,  in  addition,  numerous  smaller  build- 
ings and  lofts  were  leased  in  various  parts  of  the  city 
for  inspection  purposes. 

In  December,  1917,  a  site  comprising  sixty-five  acres 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  339 

was  selected  on  21st  and  Oregon  Avenues,  in  the  Girard 
Estate,  and  leased  for  a  term  of  years  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  thereon  five  temporary  warehouses ;  the  con- 
struction of  which  was  commenced  about  February  1, 
1918,  and  completed  about  September  30,  1918. 

The  first  of  these  buildings  was  completed  about 
April  1st,  and  was  immediately  occupied  for  storage 
and  shipping.  The  combined  storage  capacity  of  the 
new  warehouse  aggregated  1,000,000  square  feet. 

About  July  1,  1917,  a  sub-depot  was  established  in 
Baltimore  to  receive  and  inspect  the  articles  manu- 
factured in  that  locality.  This  sub-depot  was  after- 
wards merged  into  the  General  Depot  established  at 
Baltimore. 

There  were  also  sub-depots  established  at  Trenton  and 
Red  Bank,  New  Jersey,  and  at  Toronto,  Canada. 

In  April,  1917,  there  were  six  commissioned  officers 
and  1,750  civilian  employees  at  the  Philadelphia  Depot; 
on  December  31,  1917,  this  personnel  had  increased  to 
100  commissioned  officers  and  6,800  civilian  employees. 

To  take  care  of  this  persounel  hospitals  and  dis- 
pensaries were  established  to  care  for  the  sick ;  rest 
rooms  and  welfare  organizations  established  to  care  for 
the  female  employees;  exchanges  and  cafeterias  opened 
to  provide  the  meals  and  lunches  at  midday  for  all. 

The  following  is  a  brief  statement  of  the  approximate 
quantities  of  uniform  cloth,  shirting  flannel  and  cotton 
duck  entering  into  the  manufacture  of  uniforms  and 
tents  which  were  received,  stored  and  issued  duriug 
1917: 


340       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Yards 

Melton,  0.  D.,  16  and  20  oz 8,000,000 

"  "    "      30     "     32  oz 5,000,000 

Shirting  flannel,  0.   D 7,000,000 

Cloth,  cotton,  O.  D 20,000,000 

Duck,  Khaki,   12.4  oz 10,000,000 

"  "  8       " 6,000,000 

Shelter  Tent 7,000,000 


In  addition  to  the  foregoing  proportionate  quantities 
of  linings,  trimmings,  findings,  etc.,  were  purchased, 
stored  and  issued. 

The  foregoing  is  only  an  outline  of  the  growth  and 
expansion  of  the  Philadelphia  Depot.  The  financial 
records  of  the  Depot  show  that  the  disbursements  for 
supplies  increased  in  1917  from  approximately 
$200,000  to  $22,000,000  per  month.  Colonel  M.  Gray 
Zalinski,  Quartermaster  Corps,  was  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster. 

pittsbueg  arsenal  :  This  was  a  storage  Depot,  and 
while  included  in  the  responsibility  of  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster Philadelphia  it  was  intended  for  the  reserve 
storage  of  wagons  and  other  supplies  produced  through 
the  Jeffersonville  Depot. 

In  addition  to  the  storage  already  at  the  Depot  tem- 
porary buildings  were  constructed  shortly  after  the  out- 
break of  the  War,  containing  1,329,500  cubic  feet  of 
storage  space. 

Portland,  Oregon  :  This  was  a  purchasing  depot 
for  the  camps  in  its  vicinity. 

san  francisco:  This  Depot  was  the  principal  source 
of  supply  for  three  camps  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  had 
under  it  three  sub-depots.     The  camps  supplied  by  this 


QUARTERMASTER  DEPOTS  341 

Depot  included  about  71,000  men.  A  large  number  of 
shoes  and  blankets  and  a  great  quantity  of  cloth  were 
purchased  and  inspected  by  this  Depot.  The  troops 
in  Hawaii  and  the  Philippine  Islands  were  entirely 
supplied  by  this  Depot,  and  in  addition  the  line  of 
transports  operating  between  San  Francisco  and  those 
Islands  were  under  the  charge  of  the  officer  command- 
ing this  Depot. 

Colonel  John  T.  Knight,  Quartermaster  Corps,  was 
the  Depot  Quartermaster  and  General  Superintendent, 
Army  Transport  Service,  until  August,  1917,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Major  General  Carroll  A.  Devol,  who 
continued  at  the  Depot  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year. 

Seattle  :  This  was  a  purchasing  and  storage  depot 
for  the  camps  and  posts  in  its  vicinity,  and  also  for  the 
troops  at  stations  in  Alaska.  The  transports  running 
to  Alaskan  posts  were  operated  by  the  Depot  Quarter- 
master.   This  depot  also  had  a  sub-depot  at  T  acorn  a. 

Colonel  William  11.  Hartj,  Quartermaster  Corps, 
was  Depot  Quartermaster.  Later  he  was  succeeded 
by  Colonel  George  Ruhlen. 

los  angeles  :  A  purchasing  station  for  procurement 
of  subsistence  stores  and  such  other  miscellaneous  ar- 
ticles of  quartermaster  supplies  as  were  obtainable  in 
that  vicinity.  Major  Harry  L.  Steele  was  the  Quarter- 
master. 

st.  louis:  This  Depot  supplied  four  camps  in  which 
there  was  a  total  of  about  111,000  men.  It  also  pur- 
chased a  large  number  of  shoes  and  such  clothes  and 


342        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

blankets  as  were  manufactured  in  its  vicinity,  and  su- 
perintended the  making  and  inspection  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  uniforms  in  the  various  factories  to  which  con- 
tracts had  been  awarded.  A  large  extension  was  made 
to  the  storehouses  located  at  the  Arsenal,  and  a  thor- 
oughly modern  and  well  equipped  storehouse  and  office 
were  constructed. 

Colonel  William  F.  Clark  was  the  Depot  Quarter- 
master. 

Washington:  This  Depot  supplied  the  local  posts 
and  departments.  In  this  Depot  was  effected  the  set- 
tlement of  all  railroad  bills  of  lading  and  transportation 
requests.  The  Depot  Quartermaster  also  had  charge  of 
the  new  construction  which  was  provided  at  Fort  Myer, 
Washington  Barracks,  The  Walter  Reed  General  Hos- 
pital, the  Engineer  Camp,  and  Camp  Meigs.  This  De- 
pot was  also  called  upon  to  furnish  transportation  by 
motor  trucks  and  of  individuals  in  automobiles,  and 
also  assisted  in  moving  the  various  offices  to  the  new 
buildings  when  erected. 

Colonel  George  F.  Downey,  Quartermaster  Corps, 
was  the  Depot  Quartermaster. 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION 

Rail  transportation — Water  transportation — Motors — Machine 
shop  unit  at  Hoboken — Joint  Army  and  Navy  Board  for 
the  Inspection  of  Merchant  Ships — Planning  and  designs  for 
new  army  transports — Army  vessel  building  program  for 
construction  of  numeral  small  craft — Militarization  of  the 
U.  S.  Army  vessel  service — Motor  transportation. 

RAIL   TRANSPORTATION 


In  view  of  the  great  importance  of  transportation 
facilities  in  the  problem  of  national  defense,  early  at- 
tention was  devoted  to  the  establishment  of  a  closer 
cooperation  between  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  the 
various  transportation  interests  with  a  view  to  coordi- 
nating in  the  movements  of  troops  and  supplies  for  the 
Army.  During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1915  the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  Transportation  Division,  Office 
of  the  Quartermaster  General,  appeared  before  several 
of  the  transportation  associations  and  outlined  a  plan 
of  mutual  cooperation  which  would  be  of  benefit  to  both 
the  carriers  and  the  Government  in  case  any  emergency 
arose  involving  the  transportation  of  large  numbers  of 
troops.  These  addresses  were  well  received  and  the 
railroad  men  of  the  country  became  interested. 

On  October  26,  1915,  a  letter  prepared  by  the  Quar- 
343 


344       THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 

termaster  General  was  sent  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
the  American  Railway  Association  (an  association  com- 
posed of  the  presidents,  and  other  chief  operating  of- 
ficials of  the  American  railways)  suggesting  the  estab- 
lishment within  that  Association  of  a  committee  of  mili- 
tary transportation  with  whom  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
could  work  in  making  such  arrangements  as  might  be 
necessary.  Acting  on  this  letter  a  "Special  Committee 
on  Cooperation  with  the  Military  Authorities"  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  American  Railway  Association  composed 
of  the  following  gentlemen:  Fairfax  Harrison,  Presi- 
dent, Southern  Railway;  R.  M.  Aishton,  President, 
Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway;  A.  W.  Thompson, 
Vice-President,  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad ;  W.  C.  Bes- 
ler,  President,  Central  Railroad  of  New  Jersey. 

Conferences  were  held  with  this  committee,  and  a 
general  plan  of  cooperation  outlined,  to  be  placed  in 
effect  at  the  time  of  any  public  emergency,  which  pro- 
vided for  placing  a  competent  railroad  official  at  each 
department  headquarters,  at  each  mobilization  camp,  at 
ports  of  embarkation  and  such  other  points  as  might  be 
necessary.  These  representatives  were  to  act  as  ad- 
visors to  the  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  at  these 
various  points  on  any  matters  affecting  rail  transporta- 
tion and  were  representatives  of  all  lines  interested, 
thereby  enabling  an  absolute  coordination  of  all  rail- 
roads. 

Sub-committees  were  appointed  by  the  Committee  of 
the  American  Railway  Association  to  cover  each  phase 
of   railroad    activities.      These   committees   met   from 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         345 

time  to  time  with  representatives  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  and  comprehensive  plans  were  made  to  utilize  to 
the  utmost  the  resources  of  the  transportation  lines  in 
providing  for  any  contingencies  that  might  arise  should 
it  become  necessary  to  mobilize  and  transport  the  mili- 
tary forces  of  the  United  States. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  centralization  of  all 
troop  routing  (other  than  inter-departmental  move- 
ments) in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General  in 
order  that  all  movements  might  be  coordinated  and  con- 
gestion avoided.  Tentative  routings  from  all  regular 
army  posts  and  from  state  mobilization  camps  to  At- 
lanta, Gulf,  Pacific  and  Mexican  Border  points  were 
made  up  and  placed  on  file  in  the  Office  of  the  Quarter- 
master General. 

Information  was  collected,  collated  and  filed  showing 
terminal  facilities,  such  as  wharves,  docks,  side  tracks 
and  railroad  connections  at  all  important  ports  on  the 
Atlantic,  Gulf  and  Pacific  Coasts. 

Representatives  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  the 
Surgeon  General,  and  the  Pullman  Company  drafted 
plans  for  a  complete  hospital  train  composed  of  an 
operating  car,  kitchen  car,  cars  for  litter  cases,  cars  for 
ambulatory  cases,  and  a  car  for  the  personnel  attached 
to  the  train.  With  the  authority  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  one  of  these  trains  was  constructed  by  the  Pull- 
man Company  in  191 G,  and  placed  on  duty  on  the 
Mexican  Border,  and  this  train  formed  a  model  for 
several  other  trains  constructed  during  the  World  War. 

Working  plans  and  diagrams  were  made  for  the  con- 


346        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

version  of  freight  cars  into  temporary  passenger  cars,  of 
Pullman  cars  and  day  coaches  into  hospital  cars,  and  of 
flat  and  gondola  cars  for  the  transportation  of  light  and 
heavy  guns.  These  plans  and  specifications  were  on  file 
in  the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General,  and  copies 
of  them  were  also  on  file  with  the  important  railroad 
companies. 

Various  transportation  forms  were  drafted  including 
cards  to  be  placed  on  cars  to  identify  their  contents  and 
insure  expedition  in  movement. 

In  conjunction  with  the  sub-committees  on  passenger 
traffic,  an  agreement  was  entered  into  which  provided 
for  a  distribution  of  military  traffic  on  an  equitable  basis 
between  all  carriers;  in  return  for  which  a  reduction 
of  five  per  cent,  from  the  lowest  rates  otherwise  avail- 
able was  made  by  the  carriers.  This  reduction  applied 
on  all  military  traffic,  including  individuals  as  well  as 
troop  movements,  and  resulted  in  a  saving  of  thousands 
of  dollars  per  year  and  the  simplification  of  military 
passenger  traffic. 

With  the  mobilization  of  the  Regular  Army  and  the 
National  Guard  on  the  Mexican  Border  in  1916,  these 
plans,  so  far  as  applicable,  were  at  once  placed  in  effect 
and  fully  demonstrated  their  value ;  minor  changes  only 
being  found  necessary. 

On  the  declaration  of  war  by  the  United  States  the 
committee  above  referred  to  was  enlarged  to  eighteen 
members  and  designated  as  the  Special  Committee  on 
National  Defense  of  the  American  Railway  Associa- 
tion.   About  a  month  later  the  committee  was  enlarged 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  347 

to  thirty-three  members,  certain  of  them  being  stationed 
at  each  department  headquarters.  With  the  outbreak 
of  war  the  activities  of  the  committee  were  extended 
far  beyond  what  was  originally  contemplated,  but  the 
general  plans  were  not  changed.  The  railroads  of  the 
country  were,  so  far  as  troop  movements  are  concerned, 
operated  practically  as  one  system,  and  while  there  were 
some  delays  in  the  movements  of  troops  during  the  win- 
ter of  1917-18,  these  delays  were  negligible  and  due 
solely  to  the  exceptionally  severe  weather  conditions 
during  that  winter. 

Perhaps  the  best  example  of  these  careful  plans  made 
by  the  Transportation  Division  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps,  in  conjunction  with  the  Railway  Association, 
was  in  the  transportation  of  the  drafted  men  from  their 
home  to  the  mobilization  camps.  The  records  show  that 
2,287,926  men  were  transported  from  their  homes  to 
mobilization  camps,  these  men  came  from  thousands  of 
draft  districts  in  every  part  of  the  United  States,  thou- 
sands of  them  had  performed  but  little,  if  any,  travel 
before,  but  so  complete  were  the  transportation  plans 
that  all  of  these  millions  of  men  were  handled  without 
confusion  or  delay  and  without  detriment  to  the  regular 
train  service. 

Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  troop  movement 
may  be  had  from  the  following  figures  taken  from  the 
records  of  the  Troop  Movement  Section  of  the  United 
States  Railroad  Administration.  From  the  date  of 
the  declaration  of  war  up  to  and  including  the  date  of 
the  Armistice  8,714,582  troops  were  moved  by  the  rail- 


348       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

roads.  This  was  in  addition  to  over  two  million  men 
who  were  carried  on  regular  trains,  being  mostly  drafted 
men  en  route  to  mobilization  camps.  A  total  of  16,535 
special  trains  were  necessary  to  carry  troops,  245,529 
cars  being  required  for  these  movements.  It  is  of 
interest  in  this  connection  also  to  note  that  over  thirty 
per  cent,  of  these  men  were  handled  in  pullman  cars, 
the  balance  being  carried  in  coaches,  and  it  was  not 
necessary  at  any  time  to  utilize  box  cars  or  other  freight 
equipment  for  their  transportation.  For  transportation 
overseas  1,758,033  men  were  moved  into  the  Port  of 
New  York  alone.  In  all  these  vast  movements  there 
were  sixteen  accidents  involving  death  or  injury  in 
which  thirty-nine  men  were  killed  and  335  injured. 

That  the  plans  made  by  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
for  the  movements  of  troops  were  well  thought  out  and 
covered  almost  every  contingency  is  amply  demonstrated 
by  the  fact  that  after  the  Government  took  over  the 
railroads,  and  my  successor  appointed  one  of  the  lead- 
ing traffic  men  of  the  United  States  as  Director  of  In- 
land Traffic,  absolutely  no  change  was  made  in  the  plans 
that  had  been  laid  down  during  my  administration  for 
the  movement  of  troops. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  definite  plans 
for  the  movement  of  troops  were  made  long  before  the 
United  States  entered  the  World  War,  that  these  plans 
were  comprehensive,  carefully  thought  out  and  proved 
highly  effective  in  actual  practice.  That  this  was  so  is 
due  solely  to  the  fact  that  the  transportation  of  troops 
was  left  wholly  to  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         349 

who  were  familiar  with  the  matter  and  understood 
their  duties.  The  same  cannot  be  said  for  the  trans- 
portation of  supplies,  or  what  is  better  known  as  Freight 
Transportation.  That  there  was  congestion  and  lack  of 
coordination  in  the  transportation  of  supplies  during 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1917  must  be  admitted,  but  this 
was  not  due  to  any  fault  or  lack  of  plans  by  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  or  its  officers,  as  comprehensive  plans 
for  transportation  of  all  supplies  for  the  Army  were 
made  by  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  1916. 

The  great  volume  of  all  commercial  shipments  was 
moved  to  the  Eastern  Seaboard  in  order  to  meet  the 
requirements  for  the  contracts  made  by  the  Allied  Gov- 
ernments for  supplies,  in  addition  the  Shipping  Board 
had  enormous  quantities  of  freight  to  move.  This, 
added  to  the  severe  weather  conditions  and  the  heavy 
snow  storms  of  1917,  caused  the  freight  congestion  in 
the  Eastern  part  of  the  United  States  during  that 
winter. 

WATER    TRANSPORTATION 

History,  of  all  foreign  wars  by  any  nation,  shows 
plainly  that  the  movement  of  masses  of  troops  by  sea  is 
always  a  determining  factor.  Plain  as  this  fact  may 
be,  yet  many  military  commanders  have  sought  to  ignore 
this  teaching  of  history,  for  as  always  the  transport  of 
soldiers  by  ships  is  fraught  with  difficulties  and  by  many 
not  regarded  as  a  military  but  a  naval  problem,  hence 
many  of  the  greatest  captains  of  the  past  have  had  their 


350       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

military  record  irretrievably  blasted  because  they  could 
not  bring  into  their  program  of  campaign  the  problem 
of  the  troop  ship. 

The  Spanish  War  was  the  object  lesson  in  military 
sea  transport  which  has  set  the  pace  for  the  United 
States  War  Department  in  establishing  a  definite  mili- 
tary transport  fleet,  and  for  continuously  maintaining 
it  to  the  point  of  highest  efficiency. 

This  U.  S.  Army  Transport  Service  has  from  its 
very  inception  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish  War 
been  under  the  full  administrative  control  of  the  Office 
of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War  it  was  not  there- 
upon newly  discovered  as  a  new  found  toy  to  be  taken 
up  and  experimented  with,  but  instead  it  was  a  fully 
developed  organization,  time  tried  with  the  experience 
of  twenty  years  and  one  war.  It  was  not  necessary  for 
the  Quartermaster  General's  Office  at  the  outbreak  of 
this  World  War  to  take  the  time  to  debate  upon  the  de- 
sirability of  an  Army  Transport  Service,  how  it  should 
be  planned  or  administered,  or  the  service  it  could 
properly  undertake;  as  all  this  work  had  already  been 
done  in  the  past  years.  Nor  was  it  necessary  to  call  in 
the  Navy  for  their  advice  or  experience  in  this  matter, 
for  strange  as  it  may  seem  the  Navy  had  no  experience 
in  these  matters,  or  at  least  none  worthy  of  the  name. 
In  the  minds  of  the  older  officers  of  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  it  was  recalled  how  at  the  opening  of  the  Spanish 
War,  when  the  then  Quartermaster  General,  called  upon 
the  Navy  Department  to  aid  in  the  transport  of  troops 


TKANSPOKTATION  DIVISION         351 

from  Tampa  to  Cuba,  the  Navy  replied  that  it  had  grave 
problems  of  its  own  and  was  in  no  position  to  worry 
over  the  subject  of  the  movement  of  troops.  Thereupon, 
without  further  debate  with  the  Navy,  the  Secretary 
of  War  and  the  Quartermaster  General  called  into  be- 
ing the  U.  S.  Army  Transport  Service  which  as  a 
definite  military  unit  has  had  an  unbroken  record  up 
to  the  present. 

The  Navy,  during  the  Spanish  War,  operated  a  few 
occasional  transports  for  the  service  of  its  own  sup- 
plies and  personnel,  but  at  no  time  ever  accomplished 
any  War  Department  transportation  of  any  kind.  Fol- 
lowing this  War,  the  Navy  willing  drifted  back  into  its 
peace-time  routine,  and  was  only  too  glad  to  have  the 
Army  undertake  not  only  all  the  Army's  own  sea  trans- 
portation, but  the  Navy's  sea  transportation  as  well. 
Strange  though  it  may  seem,  the  U.  S.  Army  has  prac- 
tically kept  alive  the  Asiatic  Fleet  of  the  U.  S.  Navy 
by  the  continuous  transfer  of  supplies  and  personnel 
from  San  Francisco  to  the  Orient.  These  facts  of  the 
past  regarding  the  Navy  are  merely  indicated  to  show 
that  the  War  Department  could  not  go  to  the  Naval 
Service  for  professional  advice  on  the  subject  of  move- 
ment of  troops  over  marine  routes,  but  rather  it  appears 
that  the  War  Department  was  in  a  position  to  offer 
the  Navy  recommendations  based  on  study  and  experi- 
ence with  this  class  of  sea  service  of  which  the  Navy 
knew  nothing. 

That  this  twenty-year  operation  of  the  Army  Trans- 
port Fleet  was  a  success  is  best  evidenced  by  the  fact 


352       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

that  this  Fleet  as  an  organization  lasted  so  long.  The 
records  of  other  nations  in  fact,  show  no  such  long 
period  of  operation  after  the  original  military  necessity 
which  led  to  the  Fleet's  creation  had  been  passed. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  Spanish  War,  gave  careful  consideration 
to  the  aspect  of  further  continuance  of  the  Transport 
Fleet,  but  each  time,  after  careful  scrutiny  of  the  ap- 
propriations, and  an  analysis  of  figures  for  equivalent 
transportation  by  mercantile  marine  steamers,  always 
returned  to  the  conclusion  that  the  maintenance  of  a 
fleet  of  transports  was  not  only  a  military  necessity 
but  also  that  it  was  an  economical  procedure. 

Unpreparedness  for  War  was  never  the  condition  in 
the  Water  Transport  Branch  of  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral's Office;  for  as  shown,  the  U.  S.  Army  Transport 
Service  had  never  been  allowed  to  lapse  either  by  Con- 
gress or  the  War  Department. 

On  the  declaration  of  War  with  Germany  the  U.  S. 
Army  Transport  Service  was  a  very  much  alive  and 
flourishing  service.  To  be  sure,  it  did  not  have  many 
ships,  but  it  had  the  nucleus  of  an  organization  which 
needed  but  the  orders  and  the  financial  allotments  be- 
fore it  could  be  readily  expanded  to  any  extent  de- 
manded. 

~No  branch  of  the  Quartermaster  General's  Office 
could  boast  of  such  continuous  control  and  practice  of 
principles  as  was  accorded  to  the  Water  Transport 
Branch.  Necessity  in  other  Branches  had  often  re- 
quired those  rotations  of  officers  and  methods  which  in- 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         353 

torfered  with  that  continuity  of  means  and  practices 
which  good  administration  properly  requires,  but  with 
the  Water  Transport  Branch  from  the  days  of  the 
Spanish  War  until  the  opening  of  the  World  War, 
there  had  been  very  few  changes  in  the  commissioned 
personnel  in  charge  of  this  important  Division  of  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

Another  official  who  had  a  large  influence  in  molding 
the  policies  of  the  whole  transport  and  army  vessel  serv- 
ice, and  who  represented  a  continuous  program  of  poli- 
cies from  the  Spanish  War  to  the  Mexican  Mobilization, 
was  Mr.  George  A.  Anthony,  the  Supervising  Marine 
Engineer  and  Naval  Architect  of  the  War  Department, 
who  was  appointed  by  Quartermaster  General  Luding- 
ton  in  1898  and  served  in  his  capacity  as  general 
nautical  adviser  to  each  successive  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral until  1916.  In  addition  to  these  duties  he  also  had 
control  of  the  design  and  fitting  of  more  than  a  hun- 
dred new  vessels  for  the  harbor  boat  service  of  the  War 
Department  as  well  as  the  supervising  of  personnel  and 
repairs  of  all  classes  of  vessels  of  the  entire  II.  S.  Army 
Vessel  Service.  In  1916  desiring  to  accept  a  position 
in  civil  life  he  resigned  and  his  duties  were  transferred 
to  Mr.  Frank  Van  Vleck,  who  had  during  the  Spanish 
War  been  an  Assistant  Superintendent  Engineer  of  the 
U.  S.  Army  Transport  Fleet  at  San  Francisco,  and 
who  had  had  in  the  meantime  service  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Yards  and  Docks  of  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard, 
and  later  as  Assistant  to  Admiral  Melville,  Engineer- 
in-Chief  of  the  Navy  at  Washington. 


354        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  many  months  before 
there  was  any  thought  of  the  declaration  of  war,  the 
Quartermaster  General  had  issued  instructions  for  the 
military  examination  and  survey  of  every  vessel  under 
the  American  Flag  that  could  by  any  means  be  adapted 
for  the  transportation  of  troops  and  animals.  Therefore 
when  war  opened  there  was  on  hand  and  ready  a  list 
of  every  available  American  vessel  suitable  for  charter 
or  commandeer  as  a  vessel  of  the  Army  Transport 
system. 

As  indicative  of  the  readiness  of  the  transport  fleet 
for  sudden  exigencies,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  late  in 
1916,  a  year  before  the  German  War,  the  second  Mexi- 
can Border  Mobilization  was  under  full  way,  when  a 
call  was  suddenly  made  upon  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral to  be  ready  for  a  campaign  by  sea  from  a  Gulf 
port  for  a  destination  unknown,  presumably  again  Vera 
Cruz  or  Tampico.  Lists  of  American  ships  in  addition 
to  the  transports  held  in  reserve  at  Newport  News,  Vir- 
ginia, were  picked  out  as  available  and  instructions  were 
ready  for  issue  in  all  detail  to  have  these  ships  all  fitted 
and  ready  for  sea  in  two  weeks  for  the  transportation 
of  at  least  one  American  division  to  the  scene  of  action. 
Advices  from  the  State  Department  shortly  appeared 
stating  that  this  proposed  movement  had  been  cancelled. 

Yet  again  early  in  May,  1917,  shortly  after  the  dec- 
laration of  war  with  Germany,  there  emanated  from 
the  General  Staff  a  request  for  a  troop  movement  to  an 
overseas  destination  unnamed,  of  a  division  or  more, 
and  in  which  each  class  of  military  unit  for  the  voyage 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  355 

was  designated.  Here  again,  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral's Transport  Officer  had  ready  in  a  few  hours,  the 
complete  designation  of  all  ships  by  name,  their  ap- 
pointed date  of  rendezvous  at  the  general  base,  and  all 
to  be  equipped  and  provisioned  ready  to  sail  in  ten  days 
or  two  weeks.  Each  ship  was  designated  to  carry  cer- 
tain units  and  no  others,  everything  had  been  deter- 
mined as  far  as  possible  in  advance.  This  sudden  troop 
movement  did  not  come  off  at  that  time,  but  was  evi- 
dently changed,  as  these  preliminary  plans  for  merely 
division  movements  were  merged  into  the  consideration 
of  the  larger  projects  for  the  now  too  evident  move- 
ment of  troops  by  vast  units. 

Before  the  declaration  of  war  in  April,  1917,  in- 
structions were  issued  directly  by  the  Quartermaster 
General  to  Colonel  Chauncey  B.  Baker,  Q.  M.  C,  in 
charge  of  the  Transport  Branch  of  the  Q.  M.  C,  to 
get  in  touch  with  the  new  Chairman  of  the  Shipping 
Board,  Mr.  Denman,  and  to  impress  upon  him  that  the 
Nation  was  rapidly  drifting  into  war,  and  that  the 
American  War  Department  must  have  more  ships  avail- 
able for  eventual  transfer  or  commandeer  as  transports. 
Colonel  Baker  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  although 
the  United  States  was  not  at  war,  yet  certain  depart- 
ments of  the  Army  did  not  propose  to  be  caught  un- 
awares, and  that  what  few  ships  the  Transport  Service 
had  were  all  of  them  busily  engaged  in  necessary  mili- 
tary transportation.  This  was  especially  so  in  the 
nitrate  situation  as  the  Ordnance  Department  realized 
late  in  1916  that  if  war  was  suddenly  declared,  the  ob- 


356       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

taining  of  Chilean  nitrate  might  be  completely  cut  off. 
As  this  contingency  was  too  serious  to  contemplate, 
Army  transports  late  in  1916  and  1917  were  rushed  to 
Chile  for  this  very  necessary  constituent  of  explosives. 

Upon  the  declaration  of  War  with  Germany  on  April 
6,  1917,  all  the  German  interned  vessels  at  United 
States  ports  were  seized  and  their  German  personnel 
made  prisoners  of  war. 

The  War  Department  at  once  recognized  the  im- 
portance of  this  move,  as  there  was  thus  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  American  government  a  large  list  of  ves- 
sels of  the  most  seaworthy  type,  which  would  make 
ideal  transports.  Still  neither  the  War  Department  nor 
the  Navy  had  control  over  any  of  these  ships.  The 
seizure  was  first  effected  by  the  U.  S.  Marshals  attached 
to  the  Treasury  Department  and  a  few  days  later  the 
U.  S.  Steamboat  Inspection  Service  was  instructed  to 
proceed  with  their  repair,  as  the  Germans  had  left  them 
in  a  frightful  state  of  intentional  damage.  Then  later 
the  Shipping  Board  was  instructed  by  the  President  to 
proceed  with  the  repairs,  yet  at  this  time  the  Shipping- 
Board  had  no  technical  staff  whatever  to  undertake 
what  was  to  be  a  herculean  task.  Thereupon,  the  War 
Department  was  required  to  take  over  and  start  these 
repairs.  Later,  the  Navy  Department,  again  by  direct 
instructions  of  the  President,  took  over  this  whole 
task  of  reconditioning.  This  fitting  up  work  by  the 
Navy  did  not,  however,  entitle  the  boats  to  go  into 
commission  as  navy  troop  ships.  Their  operation  was 
under  the  orders  of  the  Shipping  Board.    That  the  War 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  357 

Department  did  not  leave  one  stone  unturned  to  quickly 
get  hold  of  some  of  these  ships  is  shown  by  a  letter  to 
Chairman  Denman  of  the  Shipping  Board,  asking  that 
the  following  named  German  interned  vessels  be  at 
once  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  War  Department  for  the 
early  transportation  of  troops  to  Europe: 

As  troops  ships     In  Boston  the  S.S.  Amerika 

"  "  "  "  Cincinnati 

In  New  York  "  "  Princess  Irene 

it  a         it  it  a  Hamburg 

"  "         "  «  "  Geo.  Washing-ton 

"  "        «  ".  "  Grosser  Kurfurst 

"  "         "  "  "  Kaiser  Wilhelni  II 

"  "        "  "  "  President  Lincoln 

"  «         "  "  "  President  Grant 

In  addition  thereto  there  were  to  be  added  suitable 
vessels  to  form  the  Supply  Train,  the  names  and  relative 
tonnage  to  be  determined  by  the  Shipping  Board.  Re- 
pairs and  refitting  now  in  progress,  were  to  be  con- 
tinued, except  such  alterations  as  might  unfit  the  in- 
teriors for  strictly  military  use.  Costs  and  charges  for 
this  work  of  repair  and  refit,  already  performed  and 
contracted  for,  were  to  be  the  subject  for  future  adjust- 
ment between  Shipping  Board  and  War  Department. 

In  addition  to  the  interned  German  vessels  required 
for  the  Atlantic  Oversea  expeditionary  forces,  the  fol- 
lowing were  also  asked  for  in  separate  communications, 
but  are  here  consolidated  into  one  list : 

For  San  Francisco-Honolulu  Manila  Service : 

At  San  Francisco  S.S.  Serapis 

"    Honolulu  S.S.  Pommern 

"    Manila  S.S.  Princess  Alice 


358       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

At  Manila  One  Collier  for  relief  of  coal 

situation 

For  Harbor  and  Local  Transport  and  Mine  Work: 

At  Colon  S.S.  Prinz  Sigismunde 

"    Colon  S.S.  Savoia 

"    Colon  S.S.  Sacksenwald 

"    New  York  from  Colon  S.S.  Grrunewald 

For  either  transatlantic  or  coastwise  transports: 

At  Philadelphia  S.S.  Rhaetia 

"    Philadelphia  S.S.  Prinz  Oskar 

As  in  case  of  the  transatlantic  fleet,  all  repairs  and 
refitting  were  to  be  continued,  except  such  as  reduced 
the  military  features  or  capacity. 

The  Shipping  Board's  reply  not  proving  satisfactory, 
the  Secretary  of  War  took  the  matter  up  directly  with 
the  President,  and  it  was  thereupon  decided  that  all 
German  interned  vessels  could  be  used  by  the  Army,  by 
direct  request  upon  the  Shipping  Board,  and  thereafter 
there  was  no  further  trouble  on  that  score.  The  dis- 
cussions with  the  Shipping  Board  had,  however,  con- 
sumed some  of  the  most  valuable  early  weeks  of  the 
War. 

There  were  old  laws  on  the  statute  books  which  per- 
mitted the  War  Department  to  charter,  commandeer  or 
seize  as  circumstances  required,  any  vessel  flying  the 
American  flag. 

Colonel  John  T.  Carson,  the  Depot  Quartermaster 
at  New  York,  also  appointed  as  General  Superintendent 


TKANSPORTATION  DIVISION         359 

of  Army  Transports,  was  ordered  to  be  ready  any  time 
after  the  middle  of  April,  1917,  to  commandeer  any 
available  ships  in  that  port  and  order  them  at  once  to 
ship  repair  yards  for  immediate  refitting  into  Army 
troop  transports,  and  was  instructed  that  when  such 
orders  came  down  it  was  expected  that  each  or  all  of 
the  ships  should  be  ready  for  sea  in  at  least  two  weeks 
thereafter.  As  technical  aides  to  Colonel  Carson  there 
were  rushed  across  continent  to  him  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, Captain  Stinson,  Marine  Superintendent,  and  Mr. 
C.  B.  McCabe,  Superintendent  Engineer,  both  of  the 
U.  S.  Army  Transport  Service.  Both  of  these  officials 
were  experienced  men  of  the  old  transport  fleet,  having 
been  in  the  service  since  the  Spanish  War.  They  were 
both  commissioned  as  Majors  in  the  National  Army  and 
on  arrival  immediately  took  hold  at  Hoboken  in  organiz- 
ing for  the  first  transport  fleet  movement.  Other 
specialists  in  shipping  were  engaged  from  time  to  time 
as  their  services  became  necessary. 

The  first  transport  of  American  troops  to  Europe, 
was  designated  as  the  "First  Convoy."  Colonel  Carson 
at  New  York  telephoned  on  May  28,  1917,  that  the  fol- 
lowing vessels,  all  of  them  American,  had  been  decided 
on — many  of  the  owners  even  then  not  yet  being  in- 
formed of  the  commandeer. 

Saratoga   1200  troops 

Havana 1200       " 

H.  R.  Mallory 1450       " 

San   Jacinto    1129       " 

Lenape    1069       " 

Tenadores    1200       " 


360       THE  QUARTEEMASTER  CORPS 

Finland 1600  troops 

Momus   1200       " 

Antilles  1200       " 

Pastores    1000       " 

(All  of  the  above  ships  being  able  to  maintain  four- 
teen knots  at  sea.) 

Following  were  animal  ships : 

Montanan    12^  knots 

Dakotan    12y2      " 

El  Occidents  14         " 

Edward  W.  Luckenbach 13  " 

Colonel  Carson  also  stated  that  contracts  would  be 
made  for  repairs  and  alterations  to  refit  them  for  troop 
transports,  and  that  he  would  have  them  ready  for  sea, 
with  steam  up  and  supplies  on  board,  in  ten  days. 
These  ships  were  ready  at  the  time  specified.  This 
feat,  however,  required  extraordinary  work  on  his  part 
— for  it  was  accomplished  in  a  port  already  congested 
with  freight,  and  with  repair  yards  practically  closed 
to  additional  orders. 

As  previously  stated  there  was  lack  of  coordination 
in  regard  to  shipment  of  freight  to  New  York  to  be 
transported  on  the  First  Convoy,  each  Supply  Depart- 
ment shipping  the  supplies  which  would  be  required 
by  its  representative  in  France  and  without  considera- 
tion being  given  by  anyone  as  to  the  priority  to  be  given 
in  the  shipment.  Limited  tonnage  only  was  available; 
therefore  it  should  have  been  apportioned  among  the 
various  Supply  Departments  by  some  disinterested  of- 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         3G1 

ficer,  and  priority  in  the  supplies  of  a  department  itself 
also  indicated. 

One  Supply  Department  shipped  to  New  York  to  be 
forwarded  on  the  First  Convoy  about  twelve  thousand 
tons  of  freight.  As  there  were  no  camps  in  the  vicinity 
of  New  York  in  which  the  troops  could  be  held  until 
such  time  as  it  was  possible  to  load  them  aboard  the 
transports,  it  became  necessary  for  Colonel  Carson  to 
get  in  communication  with  the  several  posts  throughout 
the  country,  from  which  the  troops  were  drawn,  and 
arrange  train  schedules  to  provide  for  the  arrival  of 
the  troops  at  such  times  as  they  could  be  placed  directly 
aboard  the  vessels,  upon  arrival  of  the  trains.  This 
necessitated  keeping  in  constant  touch  with  the  troop 
trains  en  route  to  New  York.  The  construction  of  the 
cantonments  had  not  been  started  at  the  time  the  troops 
for  the  First  Convoy  were  moved  from  their  stations. 
The  Quartermaster  General  recommended  that  no  sup- 
plies intended  for  France  be  shipped  to  New  York  by 
the  several  Supply  Departments  until  the  Depot  Quar- 
termaster there  had  been  communicated  with,  and  stated 
that  such  supplies  could  be  stored  and  properly  handled. 

In  order  to  provide  a  camp  in  which  to  assemble  the 
troops  for  shipment  abroad,  insure  proper  supervision 
over  all  matters  at  the  ports  of  embarkation,  provide 
the  proper  coordination  and  supervision  over  the  Supply 
Departments  as  related  to  shipment  of  supplies,  and 
establish  priority  as  to  shipments,  the  following  mem- 
orandum was   prepared   and   submitted   to   the   acting 


362        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Chief  of  Staff  by  the  Quartermaster  General ;  and  was 
approved  by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War: 

"June  20,  1917. 
"MEMORANDUM  for  the  Chief  of  Staff: 

"1.  It  is  recommended  that  ports  of  embarkation 
be  established  at  New  York,  Newport  News,  and  such 
other  ports  as  may  be  found  necessary.  The  port  of 
New  York  to  be  designated  for  the  transportation  of 
troops  and  general  supplies,  and  that  of  Newport  News 
to  be  used  principally  for  shipment  of  animals,  forage 
and  heavy  ordnance.  That  a  Commanding  Officer  be 
designated  for  each  port  of  embarkation  to  be  directly 
under  the  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  War  and  be  au- 
thorized to  communicate  directly  with  Chiefs  of  Bu- 
reaux of  the  War  Department. 

"2.  At  New  York  there  should  be  established  a 
camp  of  sufficient  size  to  accommodate  one  division, 
and  the  commander  of  the  port  of  embarkation  to  be 
authorized  to  acquire  such  number  of  warehouses,  and 
such  storage  facilities  as  may  become  necessary  from 
time  to  time,  the  commander  of  the  port,  at  Newport 
News  to  be  authorized  to  lease  necessary  land  and  to 
provide  a  depot  for  accommodation  of  approximately 
10,000  animals  with  camps  or  cantonments  for  the  sup- 
ply companies  of  a  division  and  necessary  storage  fa- 
cilities for  handling  the  field  train  vehicles,  forage  and 
heavy  ordnance  to  be  shipped  from  that  port. 

"3.  Bureau  Chiefs  will  furnish  timely  information 
of  contemplated  shipments  to  the  commander  of  the 
proper  port  of  embarkation,  advising  as  to  the  class, 
weight  and  cubic  dimensions  of  such  supplies.  Upon 
determination  of  the  space  available  the  commander  of 
the  port  of  embarkation  will  notify  each  Bureau  Chief 
of  the  amount  of  supplies  from  that  Bureau  that  can 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  363 

be  accommodated  and  of  the  date  when  such  supplies 
should  arrive  at  the  port  of  embarkation.  In  the  mean- 
time the  shipment  will  be  held  at  the  point  of  origin 
and  not  forwarded  until  such  time  as  will  cause  it  to 
reach  the  port  a  day  or  two  in  advance  of  the  date 
designated  by  the  Commander  of  the  port  of  embarka- 
tion. The  Commander  of  the  port  of  embarkation  will 
decide  upon  the  priority  of  all  shipments. 

"4.  Troops  to  be  transported  overseas  will  be  sent 
to  and  held  at  the  concentration  camp  at  port  of  em- 
barkation a  reasonable  time  in  advance  of  time  of  de- 
parture. Their  embarkation  will  be  under  the  direction 
and  control  of  the  Commander  of  the  port  of  em- 
barkation." 

HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Quartermaster  General. 
APPROVED: 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 

Ma  j  or-Gener  al, 

Acting  Chief  of  Staff. 

Immediately  upon  the  issuance  of  orders  for  the 
First  Convoy  the  Quartermaster  General  recommended 
the  establishment  of  a  Port  of  Embarkation  in  New 
York  and  the  assignment  of  an  officer  to  its  command. 
No  action  having  been  taken,  the  recommendation  was 
renewed,  and  the  Quartermaster  General  recommended 
that  Colonel  John  M.  Carson  be  appointed  as  Com- 
mandant of  the  Base.  This  prompted  instructions  to 
the  Commanding  General  Department  of  the  East  to 
designate  a  line  officer  for  such  duty,  and  on  June  6, 


364        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

1917,  Colonel  J.  C.  F.  Tillson  was  designated  to  act 
as  Port  Commander. 

Shortly  after  the  sailing  of  the  First  Convoy  infor- 
mation was  given  that  a  second  division  would  be  sent 
abroad  as  soon  as  possible,  and  not  later  than  the  re- 
turn of  the  vessels  in  the  First  Convoy.  Steps  were 
taken  to  prepare  for  this  shipment  of  troops  and  sup- 
plies and  before  the  entire  division  finally  sailed  the 
following  memorandum  was  received  from  The  Adju- 
tant General  under  date  of  July  27,  1917: 

"The  Secretary  of  War  has  directed  that  Primary 
Ports  of  Embarkation  be  organized  at  New  York  City 
and  Hampton  Roads,  Virginia,  and  has  assigned  a  com- 
manding officer  with  suitable  staff  officers  to  each.  The 
main  headquarters  office  of  the  former  is  at  Hoboken, 
New  Jersey,  and  Brigadier-General  D.  C.  Shanks,  U. 
S.  A.,  is  to  command  it.  The  main  headquarters  of  the 
other  is  at  the  Federal  Building,  Newport  News,  Vir- 
ginia. Colonel  Grote  Hutcheson  has  been  assigned  to 
this  command. 

"These  Ports  of  Embarkation  are  to  be  regarded  by 
the  War  Department  as  single  utilities,  each  made  up, 
among  other  things,  of  five  depots,  one  for  each  supply 
bureau  where  accumulations  of  stores  in  quantity  will 
be  effected,  classified,  arranged  and  held  in  readiness 
for  shipment  the  instant  vessels  become  available. 
Each  of  these  depots  is  to  be  in  immediate  charge  of  an 
officer  of  the  corresponding  supply  department  who  will 
also  be  on  the  staff  of  the  Commander  of  the  Port. 

"The  special  utilities  pertaining  to  each  supply  bu- 
reau should  be  arranged  in  harmonious  relation  with 
those  of  all  the  others  and  with  the  terminal  and  dock 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  365 

facilities  intended  to  serve  all.  In  order  that  this  con- 
dition may  be  brought  about,  the  Secretary  of  War 
directs  that  you  formulate  the  needs  of  your  department 
at  each  Port  and  by  direct  correspondence  with  its 
commander  arrange  for  the  acquisition  and  develop- 
ment of  the  required  facilities  in  accordance  with  a 
general  plan  embracing  all  the  utilities  needed  to  com- 
plete the  Port  of  Embarkation  as  a  whole.  It  is  the 
intention  of  the  Department  to  send  experts  upon  ques- 
tions of  layouts,  construction,  terminal  arrangements, 
and  all  related  questions,  to  advise  the  Port  Command- 
ers in  the  initial  stages  of  acquisition,  organization  and 
building,  and  prompt  action  by  bureau  chiefs,  as  indi- 
cated, is  desired." 

Enclosed  with  this  memorandum  was  an  advance 
copy  of  General  Order  102,  which  read  as  follows: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

Washington,  July  30,  1917. 

"General  Orders, 
No.  102. 

"1.  To  enable  the  Chief  of  Staff  to  exercise  effec- 
tively his  supervisory  and  coordinating  powers  in  respect 
to  overseas  movements,  there  is  hereby  created  in  the 
Office  of  the  Chief  of  Staff,  for  the  period  of  the  exist- 
ing war,  a  section  to  take  charge  of  the  embarkation  of 
troops  and  supplies  for  transatlantic  transportation  and 
to  exercise  under  the  Secretary  of  War  the  direct  con- 
trol incident  to  this  service.  The  Officer  in  charge  is 
designated  as  the  Chief  of  the  Embarkation  Service  and 
he   will   be  given   such    assistance,    commissioned   and 


366       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

civilian,  as  may  be  necessary,  with  office  rooms  in  the 
War  Department  building. 

"2.  The  function  of  this  section  is  to  coordinate  all 
shipments  of  munitions  and  supplies  of  every  kind  and 
all  troop  movements  whose  ultimate  destination  is  Eu- 
rope, and  to  advise  and  assist  the  Chief  of  Staff  in  ref- 
erence thereto.  It  will  have  direct  supervision,  under 
the  Chief  of  Staff,  of  all  movements  of  supplies  from 
points  of  origin  to  ports  of  embarkation ;  will  supervise 
the  operations  of  the  latter,  and  will  control  the  employ- 
ment of  all  Army  transports  engaged  in  the  transat- 
lantic service  and  such  commercial  shipping  as  may  be 
used  to  supplement  that  service.  It  will  arrange  with 
the  Navy  for  convoy  service. 

"3.  It  is  made  the  duty  of  all  chiefs  of  supply 
bureaux  to  keep  the  Chief  of  the  Embarkation  Service 
informed  fully  of  the  condition  of  supplies  in  their 
several  bureaux,  and  to  this  end  they  will  correspond 
directly  with  that  officer.  Direct  correspondence  be- 
tween the  Chief  of  the  Embarkation  Service  and  the 
commanding  officers  of  ports  of  embarkation  is  author- 
ized. Copies  of  all  requisitions,  requests  and  informa- 
tion of  every  character  received  from  the  Commanding 
General  of  our  forces  in  Europe,  or  his  subordinates, 
which  bear  upon  reinforcements  or  renewals  of  sup- 
plies will  be  transmitted  to  the  Chief  of  the  Embarka- 
tion Service;  and,  in  general,  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Chief  of  Staff,  this  officer  is  charged  with  the  duty 
of  arranging  that  all  supplies  for  our  forces  in  Europe 
shall  be  forwarded  in  the  most  expeditious  and  con- 
venient manner,  and  to  that  end  he  is  authorized  to  call 
upon  all  supply  officers  for  information  and  to  exercise 
control  in  matters  of  shipment  both  within  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States  and  in  the  overseas  haul. 

"4.     Brigadier  General  F.  J.  Kernan,  U.  S.  Army, 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION"         367 

is  detailed,  temporarily,  as  Chief  of  the  Embarkation 
Service,  and  Colonel  Chauncey  B.  Baker,  Quartermas- 
ter Corps,  is  detailed  as  principal  assistant. 
(321.11,AG.O) 

"By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War: 
"TASKER  H.  BLISS, 

"Major  General,  Acting  Chief  of  Staff." 
Official: 

H.  P.  McCain, 

The  Adjutant  General. 

The  effect  of  this  order  was  to  take  from  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps  the  responsibility  for  the  shipment 
of  troops  and  supplies  to  France,  to  take  from  it  the 
providing  and  handling  of  the  transports,  the  crews 
aboard  them,  and  all  activities  in  connection  with  their 
loading  and  discharging,  and  likewise  all  control  of 
the  wharves  and  all  tugs  required  in  the  handling  of 
the  vessels.  All  of  these  duties  were  placed  upon  the 
Embarkation  Service,  a  section  of  the  office  of  the  Chief 
of  Staff  established  by  this  order. 

The  Quartermaster  Corps  having  thus  been  relieved 
of  the  activities  in  connection  with  the  handling  of 
transports,  services  which,  under  the  laws  were  as- 
signed to  that  Corps,  it  would  seem  just  that  that  Corps 
would  be  relieved  from  criticism  concerning  matters 
with  which  it  no  longer  was  permitted  to  function. 

The  Quartermaster  Corps  was,  however,  blamed  in 
cablegrams  from  France  for  matters  regarding  the  load- 
ing of  the  transports  and  the  failure  to  forward  sup- 
plies called  for  on  requisitions  in  accordance  with  the 
priority  schedule;   notwithstanding  the  fact  that  fre- 


368        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

quent  requests  were  made  by  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral that  the  authorities  in  France  be  informed  that 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  no  longer  operated  the  Trans- 
port Service,  but  that  it  was  under  the  Chief  of  Staff. 

The  transport  McClellan  had  been  supplied  with  re- 
frigerating machinery,  and  had  a  storage  capacity  of 
1,500  tons  of  frozen  beef.  This  vessel  and  some  other 
transports  early  in  the  year  1917  were  turned  over  to 
the  Shipping  Board  by  direction  of  the  President. 
Upon  receipt  of  instructions  for  the  sailing  of  the  First 
Convoy,  request  was  made  upon  the  Shipping  Board 
for  the  return  of  the  McClellan,  in  order  that  a  supply 
of  frozen  beef  could  be  forwarded  to  France.  Mr.  Den- 
man,  the  Chairman  of  the  Shipping  Board,  demurred, 
and  inquired  of  the  Quartermaster  General  what  dis- 
position would  be  made  of  the  vessel  after  its  arrival 
in  France.  He  was  told  that  it  would  be  held  there  until 
cold  storage  facilities  could  be  constructed  in  France, 
as  there  were  practically  none  in  that  country.  Mr. 
Denman  stated  that  after  the  arrival  in  France  he  de- 
sired to  send  the  McClellan  to  Spain  to  load  with  a 
cargo  of  fruit  to  be  brought  to  this  country.  He  was 
informed  that  the  vessel  would  undoubtedly  be  interned 
upon  arriving  at.  a  port  in  Spain.  After  waiting  for  a 
long  time,  and  receiving  no  reply  to  the  request  for  the 
transfer  of  the  McClellan  back  to  the  Corps,  the  Quar- 
termaster General  directed  the  Depot  Quartermaster  to 
load  the  vessel  with  frozen  beef  and  to  sail  in  the  com- 
pany with  the  other  vessels  forming  the  First  Convoy. 
After  arrival  in  France  the  McClellan  was  held  there 


TKANSPORTATION  DIVISION         369 

as  a  cold  storage  depot  until  the  conclusion  of  the  war, 
and  was  then  sold  to  the  French  Government. 

The  members  of  the  French  High  Commission  stated 
that  it  would  be  difficult  to  unload  the  vessels  of  the 
First  Convoy  at  ports  in  France  as  the  only  stevedoring 
labor  available  there  was  provided  by  the  employment 
of  women  and  children  and  a  few  German  prisoners. 
The  problem  was  assigned  to  the  Supervising  Marine 
Engineer,  Mr.  Frank  Van  Vleck,  to  have  500  steve- 
dores ready  in  five  days,  and  on  board  ships  of  the 
first  convoy  ready  for  France.  Without  precedent  or 
previous  organization  he  formed  a  so-termed  "Transport 
Workers'  Battalion,"  composed  entirely  of  colored  steve- 
dores from  the  South,  for  there  was  at  the  time  of 
formation  a  stevedore  strike  going  on  in  the  southern 
ports,  and  it  was  undesirable  and  impracticable  to 
glean  any  of  this  class  of  labor  from  any  northern  city. 

General  Pershing  and  staff  were  on  hand  to  see  the 
arrival  of  the  First  Convoy,  and  at  once  made  note  of 
these  first  colored  men  who  handled  ship  lines  and  gear 
like  old  professionals  as  they  were.  As  these  men 
looked  like  soldiers  and  behaved  like  soldiers,  and  ap- 
peared under  discipline,  he  thereupon  cabled  to  the 
effect:  "Send  immediately  eight  hundred  (800)  more 
of  these  stevedores,  but  as  they  look  like  and  behave 
as  soldiers,  therefore  make  them  such."  The  sending 
of  the  next  group  as  soldiers  was  not  performed  in  five 
days,  however,  nor  in  five  weeks,  for  there  all  the  proper 
machinery  of  recruitment  and  enlistment  had  to  be 
started.     This  Water  Transport  Branch  did,  however, 


370       THE  QUARTERMASTER  COEPS 

secure  the  services  of  the  first  commanding  Officer,  Mr. 
W.  G.  Austin  of  Savannah,  who  was  thereupon  commis- 
sioned Major,  and  shortly  after  as  Colonel  commanded 
the  First  Regiment  of  Stevedores. 

From  one  regiment  this  grew  into  four,  and  finally 
on  representations  from  the  Engineer  Corps  that  steve- 
doring functions  in  France  properly  pertained  to  the 
Corps  of  Engineers  rather  than  to  Quartermaster  Corps, 
this  body  of  military  stevedores  was  thereupon  trans- 
ferred in  France  to  the  Engineer  Corps. 

MACHINE    SHOP    UNIT    AT    HOBOKEN 

An  interesting  outgrowth  of  the  stevedore  regi- 
ments was  the  development  of  a  unit  of  ship  workers  at 
Hoboken  which  later  developed  into  the  Military  Ma- 
chine Shop  Unit,  U.  S.  A.  Thus  in  forming  the  plans 
for  a  white  stevedore  regiment  for  use  in  New  York,  it 
was  decided  to  embrace  in  it  a  few  companies  or  a 
battalion  of  special  ship  fitters,  such  as  ship  plumbers, 
wiremen,  galley  repair  men,  carpenters,  etc.  The  or- 
ganization of  this  technical  portion  of  a  regiment  was 
thus  proceeded  with,  while  the  purely  stevedoring  bat- 
talions never  were  organized  due  to  questions  of  ex- 
pediency prevailing  at  that  time  in  the  whole  situation 
of  labor  and  stevedore  unrest  in  that  harbor. 

Repairs  and  alterations  on  vessels  of  the  first,  second 
and  third  convoys  were  coming  in  rapidly  and  required 
careful  analysis.  The  later  efficient  Machine  Shop 
Unit  at  Hoboken  was  not  then  being  organized.  Large 
bills  of  repairs  were  also  coming  in  for  the  interned 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION"         371 

German  fleet,  for  at  first  the  Navy  had  little  or  noth- 
ing to  do  with  these  seized  vessels,  and  the  Quartermas- 
ter Corps  had  suddenly  thrust  upon  it  the  responsibility 
of  getting  these  vessels  ready  for  sea. 

The  Water  Transport  Branch,  under  the  old  laws  and 
regulations  of  the  Quartermaster  Service,  continued  also 
to  act  as  the  executive  for  all  matters  connected  with  the 
operations  of  the  United  States  owned  Army  Transport 
Fleet  of  the  Pacific,  the  Philippines  and  Panama  serv- 
ices, and  of  the  entire  Harbor  Boat  Service  of  the 
United  States  Army  then  consisting  of  some  360  ves- 
sels of  all  descriptions. 

JOINT  ARMY  AND  NAVY   BOARD  FOR   THE   INSPECTION   OF 
MERCHANT    SHIPS 

This  Board  was  formed  before  the  opening  of  hos- 
tilities late  in  1916,  when  it  was  found  that  both  the 
Army  and  Navy  were  gathering  facts  and  statistics  re- 
garding the  possible  conversion  of  the  most  representa- 
tive American  steamers  into  troop  transports  or  mili- 
tary freight  ships. 

As  it  was  found  that  both  the  Army  and  Navy  were 
thus  duplicating  inspections  and  record  files,  it  was 
thereupon  decided  to  join  forces  and  have  constituted 
a  Board,  to  be  known  as  the  Joint  Army  and  Navy 
Board,  for  the  inspection  of  merchant  vessels.  The 
orders  establishing  this  Board  specified  that  inspecting 
officers  should  be  detailed  in  each  naval  district  to  act 
as  inspectors  to  examine  and  review  the  qualifications 


372       THE  QUARTEKMASTER  CORPS 

of  each  vessel  as  might  be  reported  to  it  for  examina- 
tion by  the  general  Board  sitting  in  Washington. 

THE  PLANNING  AND  DESIGNS  FOR  NEW  ARMY  TRANSPORTS 

It  was  early  appreciated  by  the  War  Department  that 
there  would  be  a  deplorable  shortage  of  troop  transports 
to  convoy  the  troops  to  Europe,  and  this  was  recognized 
even  before  the  draft  law  was  enacted  which  would 
surely  result  in  accentuating  this  shortage.  These  facts 
were  first  presented  urgently  before  the  Shipping  Board 
by  Colonel,  afterwards  General  C.  B.  Baker.  The  sug- 
gestion first  was  to  ask  conversion  of  a  few  ships  already 
requisitioned  by  the  Shipping  Board.  On  examination 
of  the  plans  of  most  of  these  ships  it  developed  that  they 
were  totally  unsuited  for  alteration  to  transports,  due 
either  to  the  fact  of  having  unsufficient  speed  or  being 
inadequately  supplied  with  decks  suited  for  troops. 

Two  ships,  however,  were  found  admirably  adapted 
for  conversion,  the  steamers  Orizaba  and  Orients  (later 
named  Siboney)  then  nearing  completion  at  the  Cramp 
Shipyard  in  Philadelphia,  having  been  started  on  orders 
from  the  1ST.  Y.  and  Cuba  Mail,  the  Ward  Line. 

Later  these  two  vessels,  together  with  the  fast  steam- 
ers Great  Northern  and  Northern  Pacific  made  the  rec- 
ord for  the  North  Atlantic  for  the  greatest  number  of 
trips  and  the  quickest  "turn  around." 

These  two  great  American  ships  Great  Northern  and 
Northern  Pacific  were  purchased  in  the  fall  of  1917 
under  authority  contained  in  an  Act  of  Congress  for 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         373 

this  purpose.  They  were  no  sooner  placed  in  service  on 
the  North  Atlantic  than,  owing  to  their  high  speed  and 
their  facility  in  making  round  trip  voyages,  they  proved 
themselves  of  the  highest  military  value  in  the  rapid 
transportation  of  troops  to  France. 

ARMY  VESSEL   BUILDING   PROGRAM   FOR   THE   CON- 
STRUCTION OF  NUMERAL  SMALL  CRAFT 

U.  S.  Army  Mine  Planter  Graham.  This  vessel  was 
designed  and  contracts  let  with  the  New  York  Ship 
Building  Company  to  be  constructed  at  their  Camden 
Shipyard.  The  contract  had  considerable  time  to  run 
but  upon  request  of  the  Quartermaster  General's  Office 
the  construction  of  the  vessel  was  expedited  and  it  was 
completed  well  within  the  time  limit  set  by  the  contract. 

The  trial  trip  was  held  late  in  December,  1916,  and 
shortly  thereafter  the  vessel  was  sent  to  Panama  for 
station. 

El  Aquador — intended  for  general  freight  and  water 
service  in  San  Francisco  Harbor.  The  appropriation 
made  for  the  construction  of  this  vessel  not  proving 
ample,  due  to  the  increase  of  prices,  the  plans  for  it 
were  modified  after  consultation  with  a  representative 
of  the  Coast  Artillery  Corps. 

Twenty-seven  D.  B.  Boats.  By  the  appropriation  act 
of  Congress  for  1917  allowance  was  made  for  the  con- 
struction of  ten  D.  B.  boats,  for  use  of  the  Mine  Plant- 
ing Service  of  the  Coast  Artillery.  While  these  boats 
were  under  construction  it  was  decided  to  increase  the 


374       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

total  number  to  twenty-seven,  so  that  there  would  be 
a  D.  B.  boat  available  for  every  harbor  of  importance 
on  the  North  Atlantic.  Following  delivery  these  boats 
were  sent  to  their  various  stations  from  Portland, 
Maine,  to  Galveston,  Texas. 

Q.  Boats.  In  connection  with  the  work  of  Coast  Ar- 
tillery posts,  it  became  evident  early  in  the  War,  that 
the  number  of  suitable  passenger-carrying  launches 
owned  by  the  Army  was  entirely  inadequate  for  the 
greatly  expanded  requirements.  Contracts  were  there- 
fore let  for  twelve  passenger-carrying  launches  of  the 
Dowries,  Neary,  Cheney  class;  which  class  had  proved 
to  be  acceptable.  The  class  for  convenience  was  desig- 
nated the  Q.  Boat.  Some  of  these  boats  were  sent  to 
France  on  the  decks  of  vessels  of  supply  ships  and  were 
used  in  the  harbors  of  that  country.  These  were  dis- 
tributed to  posts  from  Maine  to  Texas. 

Fifty-one  Mine  Yawls.  The  appropriation  for  1917 
contained  an  item  for  a  number  of  mine  yawls  for  the 
use  of  the  Coast  Artillery  Corps  in  performing  work  in 
the  mine  fields ;  and  it  was  decided  to  increase  the  num- 
ber originally  ordered,  so  that  fifty-one  were  finally 
constructed.  The  original  design  for  these  yawls  was 
prepared  by  officers  of  the  Coast  Artillery  at  Fort  Tot- 
ten. 

MILITARIZATION  OF  THE  U.  S.  ARMY  VESSEL  SERVICE 

As  the  routine,  uniform  and  discipline  of  the  Army 
Transport  Service  savors  of  military  command  and  con- 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  375 

trol,  it  would  appear  to  be  to  advantage  to  place  all  the 
transport  civilians  under  a  full  military  organization, 
and  successive  Quartermaster  Generals  have  sought  by 
law  to  have  the  militarization  of  this  vessel  service  car- 
ried into  effect. 

Congress  has  usually  been  friendly  to  the  proposal, 
as  it  was  readily  seen  that  this  military  control  would 
produce  economy  of  operation  and  secure  a  better  dis- 
cipline of  the  entire  personnel.  Opposition  has  been 
made  by  the  General  Staff  because  the  plan  would  neces- 
sitate commissioning  the  seagoing  officers  of  the  trans- 
port fleet, 

A  year  before  the  War  the  Quartermaster  General's 
Office  inaugurated  several  attempts  to  have  this  service 
placed  on  a  military  basis,  and  various  plans  were  sub- 
mitted but  all  failed  to  receive  the  approval  of  the  Gen- 
eral Staff. 

In  the  past,  instances  arose  on  the  different  vessels 
of  the  Service,  indicating  insubordination  on  the  part 
of  employees  through  failure  to  obey  orders,  frequent 
absences  from  their  duties  without  leave,  and  refusals 
to  work  from  time  to  time  without  increase  of  pay,  re- 
sulting in  practically  tying  up  the  vessels  when  their 
services  were  urgently  needed  for  immediate  Govern- 
ment work.  Such  cases  were  reported  as  arising  on  the 
mine  planters,  harbor  boats  and  vessels  of  the  Trans- 
port Service. 

Following  numerous  recommendations  from  Depart 
ment  Commanders,  and  others  having  the  employment 
of  such  crews  under  their  direct  control,  and  in  order  to 


376       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

establish  a  service  over  which  unquestioned  authority 
could  be  exercised,  with  a  recognized  grade  of  pay,  rec- 
ommendations were  made  as  early  as  December,  1915. 
for  the  passage  of  a  law  authorizing  an  auxiliary  corps 
of  the  War  Department,  with  a  view  to  including  the 
civilian  personnel  on  the  vessels  of  the  Service.  This 
recommendation  was  finally  put  in  the  form  of  a  bill 
which  was  introduced  in  Congress  by  Honorable  W. 
S.  Bennett,  on  January  6,  1916. 

In  this  connection,  under  date  of  March  20,  1916,  the 
Commanding  General  of  Eastern  Department,  in  for- 
warding papers  on  the  subject  of  the  crews  of  Mine 
Planters,  stated  that  in  view  of  the  fact  that  these  ves- 
sels were  engaged  in  accomplishing  one  of  our  chief 
defensive  operations,  (the  mining  of  our  harbors),  the 
crews  should  be  a  part  of  the  armed  force  and  subject 
to  military  laws,  and  recommended  that  provisions  be 
made  at  once  to  enlist  a  special  class  of  American  cit- 
izens for  assignment  to  these  positions  on  the  Mine 
Planters.  This  communication  was  presented  to  the 
War  Department  through  the  Chief  of  Coast  Artillery 
under  date  of  May  22,  1916,  suggesting  legislation  along 
the  lines  previously  recommended  for  an  enlisted  serv- 
ice for  these  vessels. 

In  November,  1916,  owing  to  the  trouble  which  had 
existed  for  some  time  on  board  the  Mine  Planters  on 
the  Atlantic  Coast,  the  Commanding  General,  Eastern 
Department,  convened  a  Board  of  Officers  "for  the  pur- 
pose of  submitting  a  report  upon  conditions  which  have 
existed  and  now  exist,  with  reference  to  the  crews  of 


TRANSPORTATION"  DIVISION  377 

vessels  of  this  class,  and  to  submit  recommendations  as 
to  the  best  method  of  securing-  for  vessels  of  this  type 
the  personnel  dependable  both  in  peace  and  war,"  and 
in  submitting  the  report  of  this  Board  to  the  War  De- 
partment, recommendation  was  made  by  the  Quarter- 
master General's  Office  under  date  of  January  12,  1917, 
through  the  Office  of  the  Chief  of  Coast  Artillery,  that 
effort  be  made  to  secure  legislation  placing  the  officers 
and  crews  of  these  vessels  on  a  practical  working  basis, 
attention  was  invited  to  the  draft  of  bill  to  establish  an 
enlisted  vessel  service  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps. 

Under  date  of  January  30,  1917,  the  Quartermaster 
General  submitted  a  memorandum  to  the  Chief  of  Staff, 
outlining  in  detail  the  necessity  for  the  enactment  of 
a  law  to  establish  an  Army  Vessel  Service  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bringing  into  the  military  service  of  the  United 
States  all  persons  now  comprising  the  Army  Transport 
Service  and  Harbor  Boat  Service,  and  now  carried  as 
Civilian  employees.  It  was  pointed  out  that  the  desir- 
ability of  commissioning,  warranting  and  enlisting  the 
members  of  the  crews  of  the  vessels  comprising  the 
Army  Transport  and  the  Harbor  Boat  Service  had  long 
been  considered,  and  during  the  existence  of  the  pres- 
ent war,  such  desirability  was  rendered  still  more  ap- 
parent ;  that  difficulties  with  certain  members  of  crews 
arising  at  almost  every  sailing  of  an  Army  Transport 
were  constantly  in  evidence,  and  the  same  conditions 
were  multiplying  on  the  harbor  boats,  mine  planters  and 
cable  steamers. 

On  March  30,  1917,  the  matter  was  again  brought 


378       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

to  the  attention  of  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army, 
citing  the  case  of  the  Army  Transport  Sherman,  which 
had  been  put  in  commission  for  the  purpose  of  trans- 
porting building  material  from  Honolulu  in  connection 
with  the  construction  of  quarters  at  Schofield  Barracks, 
and  showing  that  although  the  vessel  was  all  ready  and 
under  orders  to  sail  on  March  27,  1917,  on  account  of 
higher  wages  being  offered  by  lines  operating  in  con- 
nection with  the  Alaskan  Fishing  Industry,  the  Sherman 
crew  would  leave  the  transport,  unless  an  increase  ot 
wages  was  allowed,  and  that  the  increase  had  to  be 
granted  before  the  ship  could  sail. 

Recommendation  for  the  establishment  of  a  vessel 
service  was  renewed  in  a  letter  of  April  3,  1917,  on  the 
subject  of  the  crew  of  the  transport  Thomas  which  re- 
fused to  sail  unless  wages  were  increased ;  in  endorse- 
ment under  date  of  April  7,  1917,  in  the  case  of  the 
crew  of  the  Mine  Planter  Schofield,  reported  by  the 
Commanding  General,  Ancon,  Canal  Zone,  stating  that 
he  was  having  difficulty  in  maintaining  a  reliable  crew 
and  under  date  of  April  9,  1917,  on  report  of  the  Quar- 
termaster at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  to  the  effect  that 
the  crew  of  the  harbor  boats  were  about  to  resign,  to 
enter  the  1ST  aval  Reserve  because  of  better  pay. 

On  June  2,  1917,  in  an  endorsement  of  the  Adjutant 
General  of  the  Army,  reference  was  made  to  letter  from 
the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  military  affairs,  in 
which  it  is  stated  that  legislation  for  the  creation  of  a 
Quartermaster  Boat  Service  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
and  a  Mine  Planter  Service  in  the  Coast  Artillery  Corps 


TRANSFOKTATION  DIVISION  379 

would  be  taken  up  with  the  Committee  at  once.  In  this 
connection,  it  was  requested  that  the  opinion  of  the 
Judge  Advocate  General  be  obtained  as  to  the  possibility 
of  drafting  civilian  crews  of  these  vessels  in  the  military 
service,  pending  the  passage  of  the  legislation  above  re- 
ferred to.  By  opinion,  dated  June  4,  1917,  the  Judge 
Advocate  General  decided  that  the  draft  authorized  by 
the  Act  of  May  18,  1917,  does  not  contemplate  the  selec- 
tion of  any  particular  persons,  such  as  those  comprising 
the  present  crews  of  Mine  Planters  and  retaining  them 
in  the  Service,  and  in  his  opinion,  such  crews  could  not 
be  brought  into  the  military  service  under  the  general 
draft  act. 

As  recited  in  the  numerous  cases  above,  the  conditions 
were  aggravated  from  time  to  time  through  the  general 
demand,  in  all  lines  of  shipping,  for  men  of  this  class, 
with  a  consequent  increase  in  commercial  rates.  With 
the  rate  of  wages  fixed  bylaw,  and  based  upon  estimates 
prepared  far  in  advance,  the  Department  found  itself 
seriously  embarrassed  and  handicapped  in  undertaking 
to  accede  to  the  demands  for  increases,  and  in  several 
instances  an  adjustment  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  crews  had  only  resulted  in  a  similar  request  from 
the  same  crew  in  a  very  short  period,  so  that  the  De- 
partment was  placed  at  the  mercy  of  its  employees,  with 
no  assurances  whatever  that  an  accession  to  one  or  two 
requests  for  increase  pay  would  not  be  the  forerunner 
of  several  such  demands. 

A  plan  was  devised  by  Colonel  Chauncey  B.  Baker, 
Quartermaster  Corps,  for  the  formation  of  six  Trans- 


380       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

port  Regiments,  Quartermaster  Corps,  for  services  as 
vessel  workers,  under  the  authority  contained  in  Sec- 
tion 2,  of  the  Act  approved  May  18,  1917,  which 
authorized  the  President  to  increase  temporarily  the 
Military  Establishment.  The  plan  was  submitted  by 
the  Quartermaster  General  on  October  1,  1917,  but  no 
action  was  taken  on  it. 

Late  in  1917,  the  effort  was  renewed  and  a  draft  of  a 
bill,  which  met  the  approval  of  a  committee  of  the  Gen- 
eral Staff,  was  presented  to  Congress,  but  it  failed  to  be 
enacted  into  law. 

The  mortification  occurred  of  having  the  Government 
in  time  of  war  have  four  large  ships  at  New  York,  with 
steam  up  and  all  military  supplies  on  board,  prevented 
from  sailing  while  a  handful  of  seamen  wrangled  over 
wages,  which  at  that  time  were  on  a  scale  that  had 
recently  been  increased.  At  Newport  News  a  troop 
transport,  loaded  with  troops,  was  held  up  for  three 
days  while  stewards  and  seamen  insisted  an  increased 
wage.  If  these  men  were  alien  enemies  or  sympathizers 
the  Government  would  have  been  prompt  to  act  and 
had  authority  of  law  for  so  doing. 

When  the  Quartermaster  General  endeavored  to  form 
a  Stevedore  Battalion  for  duty  at  Hoboken,  the  Union 
leader  objected,  and  permission  was  not  granted.  Later 
the  same  union  leader  requested  the  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral to  organize  a  battalion  for  duty  there,  stating  that 
the  men  were  getting  beyond  his  control.  His  request 
was  declined  as  there  was  no  intention  of  assisting  him 
to  remain  in  control  of  the  union. 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         381 

The  Quartermaster  Corps  being  unable  to  secure 
civilians  for  seagoing  ships  at  constantly  increased  wage 
scales,  and  seeing  that  the  demands  of  the  sea-unions 
could  not  be  met,  the  Navy  volunteered  to  man  all  Army 
vessels  and  operate  them  with  Naval  crews. 

The  Navy  were  enabled  to  undertake  the  work  and 
did  it  splendidly,  because  their  crews  were  enlisted.  It 
would  seem  that  the  lesson  to  be  drawn  from  this  is  the 
necessity  of  legislation  effecting  the  militarization  of 
the  Transport  Service,  for  on  the  occasion  of  another 
war  the  entire  Navy  personnel  might  be  required  to 
perform  its  own  work. 

MOTOR    TRANSPORTATION 

Prior  to  1916,  the  use  of  motor  transportation  in  the 
Army  had  been  confined  to  service  at  the  Depots  of  the 
Quartermaster  Corps,  Department  Headquarters,  and  a 
few  of  the  larger  posts.  In  June,  1915,  the  Army  pos- 
sessed the  following  motor  vehicles:  35  passenger  cars, 
88  motor  trucks,  all  classes,  and  25  motorcycles. 

The  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  use  of  mechan- 
ical motors  for  the  supply  of  an  Army  in  the  field  had 
been  stated  in  my  book  entitled  "The  Art  of  Subsisting 
Armies  in  War,"  published  in  1893.  It  will  be  noted 
that  that  antedated  the  development  of  the  internal 
combustion  engine.  Congress  was,  however,  not  very 
liberal  in  making  appropriation  for  the  purchase  of 
motor  transportation.  In  1907  an  officer  of  the  Corps 
de  l'Tntendance  of  the  French  Army,  after  having  given 


382       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

a  very  elaborate  and  thorough  description  of  the  French 
system  of  supply  of  troops  in  the  field,  stated  that  as 
Motor  Transportation  had  been  adopted  in  the  French 
Army  it  would  be  necessary  to  investigate  the  system 
again  after  the  expiration  of  about  two  years,  as  there 
would  be  many  changes  made  in  consequence  of  the 
adoption  of  Motor  Transportation. 

The  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  who  were  at- 
tached as  students  to  the  Ecole  de  l'lntendance  made 
note  of  these  improvements,  and  one  of  those  officers, 
Captain  (now  Colonel)  F.  H.  Pope  applied  them  to  the 
motor  truck  trains  which  were  formed  in  Texas  in  1916. 

During  the  preceding  years  a  series  of  tests  and  ex- 
periments had  been  made  of  motor  trucks  by  the  Quar- 
termaster Corps,  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  the  type 
most  suitable  for  the  service,  and  to  establish  specifica- 
tions which  the  motor  trucks  must  fulfil  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  field  service. 

When  in  1916  the  Punitive  Expedition  was  sent  into 
Mexico  it  was  necessary  on  account  of  length  of  the 
line  of  communications,  and  because  the  country  was 
so  deficient  in  water  supply,  to  furnish  motor  trucks  to 
carry  the  supplies  for  the  expedition. 

When,  later  in  the  summer  of  1916,  the  National 
Guard  was  called  into  the  Federal  service  and  sent  to 
the  Mexican  border  for  duty,  it  became  necessary  to 
provide  motor  trucks  and  other  motor  vehicles  for  its 
supply  and  transportation ;  and  as  a  result  the  Quarter- 
master Corps  had  on  hand  at  the  outbreak  of  the  War, 
in  storage  and  in  operation,  the  following  motor  vehi- 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  383 

cles:  437  motor  cars,  3,041  motor  trucks,  and  670 
motorcycles. 

Due  to  the  fact  that  no  motor  vehicle  equipment  had 
ever  been  prescribed  for  the  Army,  no  organization  for 
the  handling  of  this  class  of  equipment  had  been  pre- 
scribed by  the  War  Department. 

This  subject  was  therefore  referred  by  the  Quarter- 
master General  in  the  fall  of  1916  to  the  Office  Board 
with  instructions  to  make  a  study  of  our  experiences  on 
the  Mexican  border,  and  such  reports  from  our  Military 
Attaches  as  related  to  the  subjects  of  motor  equipment 
and  organizations  in  the  French  and  British  Armies. 
This  Board  submitted  a  full  report  on  the  various  or- 
ganizations required  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps  based 
on  those  studies,  and  this  report,  as  has  been  previously 
stated,  was  submitted  to  the  proper  authorities  in  De- 
cember, 1916,  but  was  never  acted  on.  The  plan  pro- 
posed an  organization  for  motor  car  companies,  motor 
truck  companies  and  motorcycle  companies,  and  also  for 
motor  repair  companies.  The  plans  for  these  organiza- 
tions were  prepared  together  with  an  outline  of  the 
duties  of  the  members,  at  first  in  mimeographed  form 
and  distributed  to  the  various  officers  of  the  Quarter- 
master Corps.  Later  these  instructions  were  expanded 
and  distributed  in  printed  form,  prescribing  the  blanks 
to  be  used  in  the  operation  of  the  vehicles  and  those  to 
be  used  for  their  repairs. 

When  the  motor  vehicles  were  first  purchased  in  1916, 
it  was  necessary  to  hire  civilians  to  operate  and  repair 
them,  as  there  were  few  men  in  the  Army  who  had  had 


384       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

such  experience  and  training.  These  men  were  em- 
ployed by  the  assistance  of  the  motor  manufacturers, 
at  or  near  the  point  of  origin  of  the  shipment  of  the 
motor  vehicles. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  the  officers  on  duty  with 
these  organizations  that  the  services  of  civilians  in  these 
capacities,  attached  to  an  Army  were  unsatisfactory, 
and  all  such  officers  endeavored  to  have  them  replaced  by 
enlisted  men  as  soon  as  the  latter  could  be  transferred 
to  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  instructed  to  operate 
and  repair  the  vehicles.  This  necessitated  an  increase 
in  the  enlisted  personnel  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps, 
and  as  new  rates  of  pay  had  to  be  established  for  such 
men,  opposition  developed  to  the  project. 

The  training  and  development  the  men  received  on 
the  Mexican  border  in  the  use,  operation  and  repair  of 
motors,  and  in  various  other  matters  connected  with 
Army  service,  was  of  inestimable  value  in  assisting  in 
the  formation  and  training  of  the  men  required  for  the 
Army  in  the  World  War. 

Tests  of  Motor  Vehicles.  During  the  time  that  the 
troops  remained  in  Mexico  opportunity  was  afforded  all 
reliable  manufacturers  of  motor  vehicles  to  test  their 
products,  with  the  view  of  determining  their  suitability 
for  military  purposes.  These  tests  were  made  along 
the  line  of  communications  in  Mexico. 

After  the  withdrawal  of  the  Punitive  Expedition 
from  Mexico  a  test  station  was  established  at  Marfa, 
Texas,  from  which  place  the  vehicles  were  operated  to 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  385 

points  on  the  Rio  Grande,  over  a  distance  of  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles. 

The  results  of  the  tests  furnished  valuable  data,  and 
from  them  was  compiled  a  list  of  commercial  motor 
vehicles  which  would  best  stand  the  severe  usage  such 
vehicles  would  be  subjected  to  in  the  field  service  of 
an  Army. 

Repair  Facilities.  The  establishment  of  a  repair 
shop  at  Columbus,  New  Mexico,  was  necessary  as  soon 
as  trucks  began  operating  along  the  line  of  communica- 
tions in  Mexico.  This  shop  was  first  equipped  with 
machinery  and  supplies  for  the  ordinary  minor  repairs 
of  motor  vehicles.  When,  however,  the  results  of  their 
service  over  the  almost  impassable  roads  began  to  show, 
it  was  necessary  to  expand  this  shop  so  as  to  enable  it  to 
be  possible  to  make  a  complete  overhaul,  or  rebuilding 
of  these  vehicles. 

This  shop  was  later  removed  to  El  Paso,  Texas,  and 
was  there  expanded  and  developed  for  the  more  com- 
plete work  required  of  it.  Other  shops  were  also  estab- 
lished at  Fort  Sam  Houston,  and  at  Fort  Brown,  Texas, 
and  to  these  shops  were  sent  the  motor  vehicles  which 
required  repair  or  overhaul  after  the  recall  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard  from  border  service. 

Equipment  for  American  Expeditionary  Force.  Spe- 
cial provision  was  made  for  the  equipment  of  the  Head- 
quarters of  the  Expeditionary  Force,  in  accordance  with 
the  desire  of  the  Commanding  General,  and  the  equip- 
ment was  purchased  and  shipped  by  the  Depot  Quarter- 
master, New  York. 


386        THE  QUARTERMASTER,  COEPS 

Similarly  special  provisions  were  made  for  the  equip- 
ment of  the  First  Division.  Purchase  was  made  of  part 
of  the  motor  transportation  required,  and  the  balance 
being  shipped  with  the  troops  on  their  departure  from 
the  Southern  Department. 

A  suggestion  had  been  made  of  the  desirability  of 
standardizing  all  motor  vehicles  so  as  to  keep  the  num- 
ber of  spare  parts  to  the  lowest  possible  limit.  It  was 
reported  that  the  English  had  purchased  about  sixty 
different  makes  of  motor  trucks  which  necessitated  car- 
rying several  hundred  thousand  spare  parts.  In  order 
to  be  able  to  provide  the  motor  trucks  required,  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  purchase  as  many  of  the  various 
types  of  motor  trucks  which  met  the  tests  on  the  border, 
as  could  be  produced  in  a  year,  before  attempting  the 
work  of  standardization.  Consequently,  the  Depot 
Quartermaster  at  Chicago  was  instructed  on  May  7, 
1917,  to  advertise  for  proposals  for  from  one  to  35,000 
each  of  Class  A  (1^2  to  2  ton)  and  Class  B  (3  to  5  ton) 
trucks,  specifications  for  which  had  been  prepared  in 
the  Office  of  the  Quartermaster  General.  Shortly  there- 
after schedules  for  motorcycles,  motor  cars  and  trucks 
of  %  to  1  ton  capacity  (termed  type  AA)  were  similar- 
ly established. 

As  it  was  necessary  to  make  provision  for  motor  trans- 
portation facilities  abroad,  before  it  was  possible  to 
bring  about  standardization,  it  is  evident  that  some  com- 
promise arrangement  had  to  be  made.  This  compromise 
arrangement  consisted  in  providing  modified  commercial 
trucks  that  were  immediately  obtainable  in  the  smallest 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  387 

numbers  that  would  serve  the  needs  of  the  Army  until 
the  time  that  standardized  trucks  would  be  available; 
and  it  was  found  that  a  sufficient  number  could  be  ob- 
tained from  six  companies. 

About  July  14,  1917,  the  Acting  Chief  of  Staff  ap- 
proved a  memorandum  of  the  Quart erm aster  General 
authorizing  the  purchase  of  approximately  17,000  type 
A  and  B  trucks,  and  on  July  15  and  25,  1917,  the  Depot 
Quartermaster  at  Chicago  was  directed  to  make  awards 
to  the  Packard  Motor  Car  Company,  the  Locomobile 
Company  of  America,  The  Pierce  Arrow  Company,  The 
Garford  Motor  Truck  Company,  The  Four  Wheel 
Drive  Auto  Company  and  the  Nash  Motors  Company, 
the  total  deliveries  under  the  contracts  to  be  completed 
by  June  30,  1918.  As  the  Class  A  (1%  ton)  truck  was 
not  desired  for  use  in  France,  on  December  17,  1917, 
1,000  five-ton  trucks  were  ordered  from  The  Pierce 
Arrow  Company,  the  deliveries  to  be  made  of  500  in 
January  and  the  same  number  in  February,  1918. 

From  the  time  of  the  sailing  of  the  First  Convoy  to 
France,  there  were  motor  trucks  awaiting  shipment 
abroad  at  the  Ports  of  Embarkation. 

There  were  also  overhauled  trucks  at  the  Motor  Re- 
pair Shops  at  Fort  Sam  Houston  and  at  El  Paso,  Texas, 
likewise  available  for  shipment  abroad.  The  factories 
producing  trucks  under  the  contracts  above  referred  to 
were  obliged  to  store  the  trucks  because  of  the  congestion 
on  the  railroads. 

All  of  the  motor  transportation  referred  to  above  was 
intended  for  the  equipment  of  the  overseas  forces.     In 


388       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

justice  to  the  Embarkation  Service  it  must  be  stated 
that  recently  information  has  been  received  to  the  effect 
that  that  service  claims  that  the  depot  established  at 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  for  the  purpose  of  crating  motor 
vehicles,  failed  on  occasion  to  have  the  vehicles  crated 
in  time  to  enable  the  shipments  to  be  made. 

Convoys.  Congestion  of  railroad  transportation  in 
the  East,  caused  as  indicated  in  the  section  treating  of 
Railroad  Transportation,  forced  the  Quartermaster 
Corps  to  convoy  many  trucks  from  the  factories  to  the 
Overseas  Depots  and  the  Ports  of  Embarkation.  The 
first  convoy  started  in  one  of  the  worst  snow  storms  of 
that  severe  winter  and  encountered  many  difficulties, 
but  came  through  successfully.  Thousands  of  the  motor 
vehicles  all  loaded  with  government  freight,  were  thus 
driven  overland.  Convoy  driving  was  given  as  one  of 
the  last  features  of  instruction  to  the  members  of  all 
the  Division  trains  that  were  available. 

Domestic  Supply.  Allowances  for  the  Divisional  and 
other  camps  throughout  the  United  States  were  estab- 
lished by  the  War  Department.  These  were  filled  in 
part  from  the  vehicles  on  hand  in  the  Southern  Depart- 
ment and  the  balance  by  purchase  on  the  open  schedules 
created  under  authorization  of  May  7,  1917,  to  the 
Depot  Quartermaster,  Chicago,  Illinois.  When  the  con- 
gestion became  so  great  at  the  Ports  of  Embarkation, 
Overseas  Depots,  and  the  factories,  that  more  vehicles 
could  not  be  accommodated,  some  of  the  trucks  con- 
tracted for  oversea  service  were  diverted  to  domestic 
use,  large  numbers  being  required  for  training  purposes. 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  389 

Equipment  of  Tactical  Units  and  Special  Organiza- 
tions. The  War  Department  having  failed  to  announce 
a  policy  regarding  the  motor  equipment  to  be  allowed 
tactical  units  and  special  organizations,  and  efforts  to 
secure  this  information  by  conference  proving  unsuc- 
cessful, the  Quartermaster  General  on  June  8,  1917, 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Adjutant  General : 

"It  is  recommended  that  this  office  be  informed  as  to 
the  policy  of  the  War  Department  in  regard  to  the 
formation  of  Divisional  trains,  the  number  of  divisions 
to  be  equipped  with  motor  transportation,  and  the 
amount  of  motor  transportation  to  be  furnished  to  each 
division;  that  is,  shall  it  conform  to  the  new  tables  of 
organization  of  1917?  Each  divisional  train  must  con- 
sist of  one  type  and  make  of  truck.  In  view  of  the 
short,  hauls  involved,  it  would  seem  unnecessary  to 
supply  the  full  allowances  prescribed  in  Tables  of  Or- 
ganization. 

"However,  it  is  thought  some  wagon  and  pack  trans- 
portation should  be  authorized  for  each  division,  and  a 
special  table  prepared  showing  the  allowances,  all  kinds, 
per  Infantry  Division,  for  the  guidance  of  all  concerned. 

"The  above  information  is  desired  promptly  in  order 
to  make  the  necessary  awards  for  deliveries  beginning 
July  1,  1917,  and  to  effect  other  preparations." 

This  paper  was  returned  under  date  of  August  24, 
1917,  with  the  following  indorsement: 

"The  Secretary  of  War  directs  that  the  Quarter- 
master General  be  informed  as  follows: 

"That  the  transportation  to  be  procured  by  the  Quar- 


390       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

termaster  General  include  the  following  for  the  equip- 
ment of  Divisional,  Corps  and  Army  Trains : 

Divisional  Trains 

(a)  42  Ammunition  Trains  organized  as  prescribed  in 

the  enclosed  table  (omitted  here) 

42  Mobile  Ordnance  Repair  Shops 

42  Supply  Trains,  motorized,  organized  as  pre- 
scribed in  table  34,  Tables  of  Organization, 
1917 

42  Sanitary  Trains  organized  as  prescribed  in 
table  37,  Tables  of  Organization,  1917 

42  Engineer  Trains  organized  as  prescribed  in 
table  45,  Tables  of  Organization,  1917,  omit- 
ting the  Searchlight  and  Pontoon  sections. 

Army  Corps  Trains 

(b)  6  Supply  Trains,  motorized,  organized    as    pre- 

scribed in  table  34,  Tables  of  Organization, 
1917 
6  Supply  Trains,  motorized,  transport  trains  for 
motor  troops,  organized  as  prescribed  in  table 
34,  Tables  of  Organization,   1917. 

Army  Trains 

(c)  15  Truck  Companies,  3  ton  trucks 

10  Truck  Companies,  emergency  reserves 
4  Truck  Companies,  motor  repair  shops. 

"That  the  transportation  provided  in  each  National 
Army  Cantonment  and  National  Guard  Camp  includes 
the  field  trains,  and  one  truck  company  with  such  addi- 
tional trucks  and  other  motor  vehicles  as  may  be  found 
necessary  for  purposes  of  local  supply  and  administra- 
tion. 

"That  for  the  present,  motor  vehicles,  wagons,  and 
animals,  less  those  to  be  purchased  in  France  by  Gen- 


TKANSPOKTATION  DIVISION"  391 

eral  Pershing,  be  shipped  abroad  in  such  quantities  as 
will  permit  each  division  to  be  equipped  with  its  trains 
upon  its  arrival  in  France ;  but  that  as  soon  as  the  state 
of  supply  of  motor  vehicles  will  permit  such  action  to 
be  taken,  the  Quartermaster  General  arrange  for  the 
establishment  of  a  camp  at  which  instruction  can  be 
given  to  the  motor  personnel  of  a  division  designated 
for  service  abroad,  for  about  one  month  prior  to  its  em- 
barkation. It  should  be  noted  in  this  connection  that 
it  is  contemplated  that  the  initial  organization  of  the 
personnel  of  divisional  trains  will  be  effected  in  their 
respective  divisional  cantonments  or  camps,  and  their 
training  carried  forward  in  the  full  extent  permitted  by 
the  facilities  available  in  such  cantonments  or  camps." 

The  following  are  the  total  number  of  motor  trucks 
required  by  the  above  instructions : 

Ammunition    Trains 101  x  42  4,242 

Supply   Trains 187x30  5,610 

Sanitary    Trains 22  x  42  924 

Engineer  Trains 12  x  42  504 

Supply  Trains   (Corps) 187  x  6  1,122 

Transport    Trains 187  x  6  1,122 

Army  Trains 25x29  725 

Trains  Cav.  Div 296  x  1  296 

14,545 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  above  correspondence 
that  it  took  from  June  8  until  August  24,  1917,  two 
months  and  a  half,  to  secure  a  reply  to  a  most  urgent  re- 
quest for  information.  Such  information  was  necessary 
in  order  to  make  the  contracts,  as  the  proposals  had 
specifically  stated  that  they  expired  on  July  1.  This 
was  met  by  the  spirit  of  cooperation  and  assistance  dis- 


392       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

played  by  the  manufacturers.  But  the  delay  was  vital 
as  relating  to  the  possibility  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
to  make  the  other  preparations  required.  The  effort  to 
establish  a  Training  Camp  for  the  Quartermaster  per- 
sonnel and  the  delay  in  authorizing  it,  have  been  previ- 
ously recounted.  The  steps  taken  to  provide  the  com- 
mercial motor  vehicles  have  been  stated. 

Several  factors  have  an  important  bearing  on  the 
ultimate  success  of  a  motor  transport  service.  The  first 
requirement  is  that  the  different  designs  and  makes  of 
trucks  in  use  shall  be  confined  to  the  fewest  practicable 
number.  Another  requirement  is  that  the  fewest  pos- 
sible changes  in  construction  details  of  the  trucks  be  al- 
lowed, once  they  have  been  put  in  foreign  service  in 
large  quantities.  If  it  were  possible  to  have  all  the 
trucks  of  a  given  size  of  one  design,  the  ideal  condi- 
tion would  be  fulfilled. 

The  concentration  on  one  model  considerably  facili- 
tates the  instruction  of  drivers  and  repair  men  and  in- 
sures better  handling  and  maintenance  of  the  unit.  It 
also  reduces  to  a  minimum  the  number  of  repair  parts 
necessary  to  be  kept  on  hand,  thus  greatly  conserving 
storage  and  transportation  facilities. 

The  above  considerations  forcibly  advanced  by  the 
well  qualified  assistants  and  experts  in  his  office  induced 
the  Quartermaster  General  to  submit  a  memorandum  to 
the  Chief  of  Staff  on  July  16,  1917,  on  the  subject  of 
the  standardization  of  motor  tracks.  In  that  memoran- 
dum it  was  stated  that  for  two  years  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers  various  stand- 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  393 

ards  specification  for  the  purchase  of  motor  trucks  had 
been  prepared. 

The  cooperation  and  assistance  received  from  the 
leading  automotive  engineers  in  the  country  and  the  So- 
ciety of  Automotive  Engineers  had  resulted  in  many 
conferences. 

The  memorandum  stated  that  during  the  last  confer- 
ence with  the  engineers  which  was  held  at  the  Ohio 
State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  July  9  and  10, 
1917,  it  became  evident  that  it  would  be  thoroughly 
practicable  to  effect  the  complete  standardization  of  each 
individual  unit  in  all  its  details  in  a  short  time,  thus 
resulting  in  the  complete  and  thorough  standardization 
of  every  individual  part  of  which  the  motor  trucks  will 
be  composed.  It  was  recommended  in  that  memoran- 
dum that  the  sum  of  $175,000  be  alloted  for  use  in  com- 
pleting the  standardization  of  motor  trucks  at  the  ear- 
liest practicable  date. 

The  recommendation  was  at  once  approved  by  the 
Secretary  of  War. 

On  July  21,  1917,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society  of  Automotive 
Engineers.  All  truck  manufacturers  were  invited  to  at- 
tend that  meeting  and  were  requested  to  bring  their  eng- 
ineers with  them.  The  Army  representatives  at  the 
meeting  were  Major  C.  B.  Drak  and  Captain  W.  M. 
Britton,  and  the  convention  went  on  record  officially  as 
thoroughly  in  accord  with  the  program  for  standariza- 
tion,  rendering  every  assistance  possible  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work.    On  July  30,  1917,  fifty  engineers  ar- 


394       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

rived  at  Washing-ton  and  the  actual  work  of  truck  stand- 
ardization was  commenced. 

The  committees  of  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engi- 
neers which  were  in  charge  of  the  design  of  the  various 
elements  of  trucks  were  represented  in  most  instances 
by  the  majority  of  their  membership  in  the  group  of 
engineers,  who  came  to  Washington  on  July  30,  1917. 
The  chairmen  of  these  various  committees  were  con- 
stituted into  an  organization  known  as  the  "schedule 
committee."  This  was  in  effect  a  general  executive  com- 
mittee and  decided  not  only  the  dates  and  order  of  pro- 
cedure, but  also  policy  on  important  matters  of  design 
and  contested  opinions  coming  up  between  different  com- 
mittees. The  committee  was  under  the  chairmanship 
of  A.  W.  Copeland,  of  Detroit,  and  with  Coker  F.  Clark- 
son  as  secretary. 

Between  September  10th  and  October  1st  the  work  of 
completing  the  drawings,  checking  them,  combining 
them  into  the  classes  designed,  and  the  manufacture  of 
the  parts  themselves  went  rapidly  forward.  The  keep- 
ing record  of  this  part  of  the  work  was  under  the  charge 
of  Major  Edward  Orton,  Jr.,  former  Dean  of  the  Scien- 
tific Section  of  the  Ohio  State  University.  In  the  de- 
sign of  the  type  B  truck  about  4,000  blue  prints  were 
needed,  but  over  10,000  had  to  be  prepared  because  of 
the  changes  made  necessary  upon  more  thorough  study. 
The  enormity  of  the  work  performed  in  such  a  short 
time  is  indicated  by  that  statement. 

On  September  20,  sample  parts  began  to  be  shipped 
from  the  various  manufacturers  to  the  two  firms  Gramm- 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  395 

Bernstein  Motor  Truck  Co.,  Lima,  Ohio,  and  the  Selden 
Motor  Vehicle  Company,  Rochester,  New  York,  which 
had  been  selected  to  assemble  the  first  two  sample  trucks. 
By  October,  practically  all  sample  parts  were  completed 
and  delivered  to  the  assemblers,  and  the  assemblers  had 
completed  the  greater  portion  of  the  small  parts  which 
had  been  assigned  to  them  for  manufacture  in  their  own 
plants.  The  work  of  assembly  proceeded  rapidly  and 
the  first  track  was  actually  assembled  October  7,  1917, 
three  days  ahead  of  schedule.  The  second  truck  was 
finished  about  two  days  later. 

The  trucks,  upon  completion,  were  given  short  tests  at 
the  respective  factories  and  were  started  for  Washington 
overland.  The  truck  made  at  Lima,  Ohio,  reached 
Washington,  Sunday,  October  13,  1917;  and  that  made 
at  Rochester,  New  York,  reached  Washington,  Tuesday, 
October  16th,  having  crossed  the  mountains  in  the  first 
snow  storm  of  the  season  and  encountering  very  bad 
weather.  Neither  track  had  any  breakdowns  or  me- 
chanical difficulty  other  than  slight  rimning  adjust- 
ments. Both  tracks  arrived  in  Washington  in  excellent 
condition. 

The  two  sample  tracks  were  formally  presented  to 
the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  War  on  October  19, 
1917,  for  their  inspection. 

The  methods  adopted  in  the  work  of  standardization 
proceeded  along  two  lines.  The  larger  units,  such  as 
engines,  front  axles,  transmissions,  clutches,  controls, 
frames,  wooden  wheels,  springs,  and  some  other  parts, 
were  such  as  could  be  designed  without  fear    of    in- 


396       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

fringing  the  various  patented  constructions,  and  the 
engineers  designing  these  units  could  go  ahead  with 
no  other  thought  than  that  of  securing  the  very  best 
results.  A  strict  adherence  to  the  policy  of  eliminating 
all  experimental  features  in  the  design  was  insisted 
upon.  The  trucks  embodied  no  novel  or  freak  con- 
struction. Every  unit  and  part  was  typical  oi  the  best 
American  practice,  and  did  not  differ  in  principle  from 
those  of  many  commercial  trucks.  On  the  other  hand, 
various  parts,  such  as  radiators,  rear  axles,  steel  wheels, 
differentials,  steering  gears,  electric  parts,  storage  bat- 
teries, lamps,  universal  joints,  magnetos,  bumpers,  and 
numerous  other  parts  and  accessories  were  such  that 
practically  all  meritorious  constructions  in  the  market 
were  found  to  be  covered  by  patents  or  proprietary  de- 
signs. It  was  desired  that  the  truck  when  completed 
should  not  embody  patented  constructions  or  proprietary 
designs  on  account  of  legal  objections,  and  also  to  the 
advertising  advantages  which  would  be  conferred  by 
the  use  of  such  parts,  and  accordingly  much  time  was 
devoted  to  devising  constructions  which  would  avoid 
this  necessity.  Groups  of  manufacturers  of  each  of  the 
different  units  were  called  together,  and  the  problem 
of  arriving  at  a  design  of  that  unit  without  sacrificing 
efficiency  which  would  nevertheless  not  infringe  the 
proprietary  construction  of  any  of  them  was  requested. 
This  was  a  matter  of  extraordinary  difficulty  in  some 
instances  and  involved  unselfish  reversal  of  all  ordinary 
commercial  procedure.  These  manufacturers  met  this 
test  splendidly  and  in  practically  all  units  of  the  truck 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION         397 

a  non-proprietary  design  was  reached  which  was  efficient 
and,  in  some  instances,  superior  to  the  best  commercial 
designs.  The  spirit  displayed  by  these  American  manu- 
facturers in  abandoning  their  commercial  rivalry  and 
giving  up  their  vested  rights  and  producing  what  was 
needed  without  selfish  thought  in  the  matter  was  ab- 
solutely unique  in  American  industrial  history,  and  too 
great  praise  cannot  be  given  them  for  the  manner  in 
which  they  have  accomplished  their  task. 

Placing  of  orders  for  Production.  The  placing  of 
orders  for  the  production  of  the  three-ton  standardized 
truck  began  very  promptly  after  the  completion  of  the 
samples  and  before  any  extended  test  of  the  trucks 
themselves  was  possible.  This  was  necessary  in  order 
that  trucks  might  be  available  during  January,  1918. 
It  was  thought  that  revision  of  the  design  might  pos- 
sibly create  the  necessity  of  throwing  away  tools  or 
fabricated  parts,  but  that  the  military  necessity  would 
justify  this,  if  the  completed  trucks  should  be  ready 
according  to  schedule  time. 

Accordingly  the  first  meetings  for  the  allotment  of 
trucks  were  called  for  October  12th,  and  from  that  date 
until  the  latter  part  of  December,  meetings  of  manu- 
facturers in  Washington  for  the  allotment  of  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  truck  occurred  at  frequent  intervals. 

Two  organizations  were  created  to  handle  the  pro- 
curement: First,  a  board  of  officers  to  act  as  a  Pur- 
chasing Board  to  allot  the  business. 

Second,  a  production  board  with  branches  dealing 
with:    (a)    Raw  materials;    (b)    Inspection   of  plants 


398       THE  QUAETEEMASTEB  COEPS 

as  to  their  suitability  for  taking  part  in  this  program ; 
(c)  Supervision  of  parts  plants;  (d)  Supervision  of  as- 
sembly plants;  (e)  Inspection  of  parts  and  products. 

The  production  organization  was  used ;  first,  to  secure 
preliminary  information  as  to  the  names  of  the  pro- 
ducers for  the  different  parts  of  the  truck;  second,  the 
selection  of  producers  whose  plants  were  best  suited  for 
producing  the  parts  of  this  special  truck,  with  due 
reference  to  geographical  location;  third,  acquainting 
these  prospective  producers  with  the  material  to  be 
produced,  and  assisting  them  in  formulating  their  bids ; 
and  fourth,  furnishing  the  necessary  information  for 
the  Purchasing  Board.  Each  producer  was  required  to 
make  a  careful  statement,  not  only  as  to  the  ability  and 
condition  of  his  plant  to  do  the  work,  but  also  as  to  the 
material  cost  of  each  part  upon  which  he  was  prepared 
to  submit  figures.  This  information  was  then  taken 
to  the  Purchasing  Board,  and  a  joint  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Producers  arranged  for. 

The  constitution  of  the  Purchasing  Board  was  as 
follows : 

Chairman:  General  C.  D.  Baker 

Colonel  Charles  B.  Drake 

Lieutenant  Colonel  James  W.  Furlow 

Major  Edward  Orton,  Jr. 

Captain  L.  H.  Coart 

Mr.  Coker  P.  Clarkson,  General  Manager 
of  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers. 
Production  of  the  standardized  type  B  trucks  was 
directed  by  the  following  men,  who  were  called  to  Wash- 
ington:    Christian  Girl,  head  of  the  Standard  Parts 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  399 

Co.  of  Cleveland ;  James  F.  Bourquin,  Continental 
Motor  Co.,  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Percy  W.  Tracy,  of  the 
Premier  Motor  Co.,  Indianapolis ;  Walter  S.  Quinlan, 
of  the  Maynard  H.  Murch  Co.,  Cleveland;  Guy  Morgan, 
of  the  Mitchell  Motors  Corporation,  Racine,  Wis. ;  J. 
G.  Utz,  of  the  Standard  Parts  Co.,  Cleveland;  G.  W. 
Randies,  of  the  Foote-Burt  Co.,  Cleveland;  and  A.  G. 
Drefs,  of  the  Miller-Franklin  Co. 

In  general,  it  was  the  idea  to  have  at  least  three  or 
four  sources  of  supply  for  each  part  that  went  into  the 
standardized  truck,  as  a  result  150  parts  manufacturers 
were  given  contracts. 

One  firm  offered  to  erect  and  install  a  large  plant 
at  Detroit  if  given  the  contract  for  assembling  the 
trucks.  This  offer  was  refused  as  it  was  desired  to 
have  as  many  assembling  plants  as  possible,  and  avoid 
possible  congestion  in  shipments  from  parts  manufac- 
turers, or  in  shipment  or  convoy  of  the  trucks. 

The  allotment  of  the  business  of  assembling  the 
trucks  was  by  all  means  the  most  difficult,  as  it  required 
the  division  of  10,000  trucks  among  plants  potentially 
able  to  manufacture  several  hundred  thousand.  There 
were  approximately  160  plants  which  had  been  investi- 
gated as  possible  assemblers.  Among  the  plants  which 
were  found  to  be  strongest,  best  equipped  and  most  fa- 
vorable ones  in  the  country  for  that  purpose,  a  tenta- 
tive allotment  of  the  assembly  was  made,  no  plant  be- 
ing allotted  more  than  1,000  trucks. 

Later  the  Committees  undertook  the  development  of 
plans  for  the  standardization  of  the  l^-ton  and  %-ton 


400       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

trucks  and  also  for  the  standardization  of  the  motor- 
cycle and  the  bicycle,  but  none  of  these  standards  were 
ever  placed  in  production. 

The  production  of  the  order  for  10,000  type  B  trucks 
was  delayed  by  the  shortage  of  coal  and  the  freight  con- 
gestion in  1918.  In  May,  1918,  an  additional  order  for 
8,000  was  placed  and  in  September,  1918,  a  further 
order  for  25,000  was  placed;  but  on  account  of  the  sign- 
ing of  the  Armistice  no  trucks  were  delivered  under 
this  last  order. 

Spare  and  Repair  Parts  and  Accessories,  Immedi- 
ately after  orders  were  placed  for  vehicles,  orders  for 
spare  and  repair  parts  and  accessories  were  placed. 
These  orders  were  based  on  the  amounts  necessary  for 
a  period  of  six  months  for  one  hundred  vehicles,  and 
for  convenience  of  access  were  divided  into  comple- 
ments. 

The  allowance  of  items  was  carefully  prepared  by 
an  officer  who  had  experience  with  the  operation  of 
motor  vehicles  and  with,  the  cooperation  of  the  service 
managers  of  the  factory  manufacturing  the  vehicles  and 
they  were  then  reviewed  by  one  or  more  other  officers  of 
experience. 

Organization.  The  administration  and  supply  of 
motor  transportation  remained  in  the  miscellaneous 
branch  of  the  transportation  division  of  the  office  but 
a  section  had  been  created,  and  officers  who  had  had  ex- 
perience with  the  operation  of  motor  vehicles  and  shop 
experience  and  others  familiar  with  organization  were 
assigned  thereto. 


TRANSPORTATION  DIVISION  401 

This  motors  section  carefully  studied  the  require- 
ments, and  in  cooperation  with  the  General  Staff  per- 
fected the  organization  of  and  equipment  necessary  for 
motorcycle  companies,  motor  car  companies,  motor  truck 
companies,  machine  shop  units,  repair  units,  water  tank 
companies,  etc. 

Personnel.  An  early  estimate  was  made  of  the  per- 
sonnel required  for  the  operation  and  repair  of  the 
motor  transportation  which  had  been  authorized  and 
effort  was  made  in  cooperation  with  the  personnel 
branch  of  the  office  to  get  the  requisite  number.  How- 
ever, only  a  small  portion  of  the  number  estimated  as 
required  were  allowed  and  there  was  therefore  at  all 
times  a  lack  of  trained  mechanics  and  chauffeurs  avail- 
able with  which  to  organize  the  units  required  overseas. 

Training.  The  instructions  transmitted  by  the  Adju- 
tant General,  August  24,  1917,  placed  the  responsibil- 
ity on  the  division  commanders  for  training  the  units 
operating  with  combatant  divisions.  Other  organiza- 
tions of  the  Quartermasters  Corps  were  to  be  trained 
under  the  direction  of  the  Quartermaster  General. 

For  this  purpose  a  camp  was  established  at  Camp 
Joseph  E.  Johnston,  near  Jacksonville,  Florida,  but  to 
provide  for  the  first  motor  repair  units  a  cantonment 
was  erected  at  Camp  Meigs,  D.  C.  These  camps  were 
used  until  the  Armistice  for  the  training  of  Quarter- 
master personnel  and  special  units. 

To  provide  for  the  receipt  of  trucks  from  factories, 
for  their  preparation  for  overseas  services,  their  over- 
haul after  receipt  from  factories  by  convoy,  and  for  the 


402        THE  QUAETEEMASTEE  COEPS 

repair  of  and  rebuilding  of  vehicles  rendered  unserv- 
iceable in  operation  in  the  northeastern  and  eastern 
states  and  to  provide  additional  accommodations  for  the 
training  of  personnel,  a  cantonment  repair  shop  and 
crating  shop  was  erected  at  Camp  Holabird,  Baltimore, 
Md. 

Smaller  shops  were  also  erected  at  Camp  Jesup, 
Georgia,  Camp  Normyle,  Texas,  and  at  Camp  Boyd, 
Texas,  with  the  necessary  cantonment  buildings  for  the 
personnel  of  the  repair  units  to  operate  and  for  the  men 
undergoing  training. 

Expert  mechanics  and  chauffeurs  were  turned  out 
from  these  schools  in  large  numbers. 


XI 

CAMP  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON,  FLORIDA 

Object  of  the  camp — Instruction — Administrative  personnel. 

The  effort  made  in  June,  1917,  to  secure  authority 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Quartermaster  Corps  Train- 
ing Camp,  and  the  delays  in  obtaining  it  have  been 
previously  described.  It  was  not  until  September  6, 
1917,  that  the  final  decision  was  made  that  the  pro- 
posed camp  would  be  established  at  Black  Point  on 
the  St.  John's  River,  about  fourteen  miles  west  of  the 
city  of  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Fred  L.  Munson,  Quartermaster 
Corps,  was  on  August  26,  1917,  designated  as  Com- 
manding Officer  and  Major  Frederick  I.  Wheeler,  Corps 
of  Engineers,  Reserve  Corps,  was  assigned  to  as  con- 
structing Quartermaster  of  the  Camp. 

By  the  end  of  September  the  construction  of  roads 
and  buildings  on  the  camp  site  were  finally  begun 
whereas,  as  previously  set  forth,  it  had  reasonably  been 
anticipated  that  the  construction  work  would  be  com- 
pleted by  that  time  and  the  school  in  operation. 

OBJECT    OF    THE    CAMP 

The  Object  of  a  camp  of  this  character  was  to  central- 
403 


404       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

ize  the  newly  commissioned  and  enlisted  personnel  of 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  order  that  the  many  and 
various  organizations  composing  it  could  be  uniformly 
disciplined,  trained,  and  equipped. 

Prior  to  the  authorization  of  this  scheme  of  central- 
ization attempts  had  been  made  to  mobilize  and  train, 
in  the  many  scattered  divisional  camps,  such  of  the 
newly  acquired  organizations  as  laundry,  butchery,  fire 
hose  and  truck  companies,  base  spare  parts  units,  etc. 
But  it  was  soon  shown  that  this  latter  plan  was  un- 
necessarily expensive,  slower  in  producing  satisfactory 
results,  more  costly  in  instructor  personnel,  and  that 
it  resulted  in  a  lack  of  uniformity  in  the  system  of  in- 
struction. To  have  constructed  separate  barracks  and 
school  buildings  at  each  of  the  divisional  camps  for  the 
care  of  our  many  new  organizations  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Hence  the  importance  of  a  large  centralized  plant 
for  Quartermaster  Corps  personnel. 

Camp  Johnston  as  originally  planned  was  intended 
to  accommodate  a  maximum  of  11,500  officers  and  men. 
By  the  middle  of  February,  19 18,  the  total  population 
of  the  camp  had  reached  17,000.  The  overflow  had 
to  be  housed  in  tents. 

Owing  to  the  overcrowded  condition  of  the  large  re- 
cruiting depots  in  the  north,  and  to  the  severity  of  the 
winter  weather  in  that  part  of  the  country,  several 
thousand  Quartermaster  Corps  men  were  shipped  to 
Camp  Johnston  fully  two  weeks  in  advance  of  the  date 
they  were  expected,  and  before  their  barracks  and  mess 
halls  were  completed. 


CAMP  JOIINSTOX,  FLORIDA  405 

The  wisdom  of  having  selected  the  camp  site  so  well 
to  the  south  was  being  proved  daily  during  these  winter 
months.  The  above  mentioned  problems  and  numerous 
others  were  met  and  successfully  solved  by  the  experi- 
enced, efficient,  and  loyal  staff  of  the  Camp  Commander. 
This  staff  was  largely  composed  of  Captains  of  the  Quar- 
termaster Reserve  Corps  who  had  received  their  basic 
training  while  Quartermaster  Sergeants  of  the  Regular 
Army. 

The  transportation  problem  for  passengers  between 
the  camp  and  city  of  Jacksonville  was  solved  by  a 
merger  of  the  several  owners  of  public  auto  vehicles 
under  one  management.  A  similar  arrangement  was 
made  with  the  owners  of  steamboats  on  the  St.  John's 
River,  thereby  establishing  a  water  route  to  and  from 
the  city.  The  camp  and  city  were  also  connected  by 
an  electric  street  car  line. 

INSTRUCTION 

Officers.  Of  the  1,500  first  and  second  lieutenants 
of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  who  had  been  sent  to  Camp 
Johnston  from  the  various  divisional  camps  only  1,100 
were  enrolled  as  students.  The  400  remaining  officers 
were  either  assigned  to  duty  with  the  many  new  Quar- 
termaster Corps  units  which,  at  this  time  were  rapidly 
being  organized,  or  else  assigned  as  instructors  in  the 
many  different  schools  for  enlisted  men. 

The  school  for  officers  began  December  27,  1917, 
Its  curriculum  consisted  of  a  sixty  days'  course  in  the 


406        THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

following  named  subjects.  Finance,  Administration, 
Construction  and  Repair,  Transportation,  and  Supply. 

Each  student  who  remained  long  enough  to  complete 
the  course  received  twelve  days  of  intensive  theoretical 
and  practical  training  in  each  of  the  above  five  sub- 
jects. Owing  to  the  constantly  increasing  demand  for 
Quartermaster  Corps  officers  for  duty  with  the  Ameri- 
can Expeditionary  Forces  abroad  not  more  than  250  of 
the  original  1,100  students  completed  the  entire  course 
of  instruction. 

Enlisted  Men.  As  rapidly  as  enlisted  men  arrived  in 
camp  they  were  temporarily  assigned  to  provisional  re- 
cruit companies.  While  in  these  organizations  they 
were  uniformed,  partially  equipped,  and  drilled  in  the 
school  of  the  soldier,  and  school  of  the  squad.  It  was 
also  during  this  period  that  the  men  received  frequent 
lectures  by  the  Camp  Commander  on  the  subjects  of 
discipline  and  customs  of  the  service. 

At  the  close  of  two  weeks  of  military  instruction  all 
men  of  a  recruit  company  would  then  be  grouped  and 
assigned  to  units  according  to  trade  or  profession.  For 
example :  All  men  who  had  had  experience  as  butchers, 
or  who  had  expressed  a  desire  to  learn  the  butchery 
trade,  would  be  quartered  together  and  organized  into 
one  or  more  butchery  companies. 

There  were  separate  schools  for  cooks,  bakers,  auto 
mechanics,  plumbers,  carpenters,  farriers,  teamsters, 
fire  fighters,  typewriters  and  clerks. 

All  scholastic  work  was  daily  supplemented  by  at 
least  two  hours  of  military    training.      Organizations 


f 


CAMP  JOHNSTON,  FLORIDA  407 

armed  with  the  rifle,  such  as  motor  truck,  and  motor- 
cycle companies,  were  also  instructed  in  rifle  practice 
on  the  Camp  range.  Throughout  all  the  instruction  of 
the  men  most  careful  and  special  attention  was  given  to 
discipline  and  good  soldierly  appearance. 

That  the  men  from  Camp  Johnston  who  were  sent 
overseas  were  a  credit  to  both  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
and  to  their  Camp  is  evidenced  by  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  two  separate  reports  rendered  by  Major  E. 
B.  Cassatt,  Inspector  General,  Port  of  Embarkation, 
Hoboken,  1ST.  J.,  to  his  Camp  Commander  under  dates 
of  March  10  and  April  4,  1918,  respectively: 

(a)  "For  completeness  of  equipment,  for  general 
soldierly  bearing,  and  evidence  of  efficiency  and  interest 
on  the  part  of  the  officers  in  charge,  these  four  Fire 
Hose  and  Truck  Companies  from  Camp  Joseph  E. 
Johnston,  are  unexcelled  by  any  organization  inspected 
by  the  undersigned  at  this  camp." 

(b)  "The  attention  of  the  Commanding  General 
(Camp  Merritt,  N.  J.)  is  invited  to  the  uniform  ex- 
cellence and  completeness  of  equipment  of  the  detach- 
ments of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  arriving  here  from 
Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  of  their  generally  good 
military  appearance. 

"It  is  suggested  that  this  information  be  communi- 
cated to  the  Commanding  Officer,  Camp  Joseph  E. 
Johnston." 

December  31,  1917,  the  administrative  personnel  of 
the  Camp  was  composed,  in  part,  of  the  following  named 
officers : 


408       THE  QUARTERMASTER  CORPS 

Commanding    Officer:    Lieutenant    Colonel    Fred    L. 

Munson,  U.  S.  A. 
Adjutant:  Captain  Jacob  H.  Spengler,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Assistants:    Captain   Andrew   C.    Larsen,    Q.M.U.S.R. 
(Personnel) 
Captain  Charles   Van   Buren,    Q.M.U.S.R,    (Or- 
ders) 
Captain  Edward  P.   Doyle,   Q.M.U.S.R.    (Corre- 
spondence) 
Captain  Jackson  Middleton,  Q.M.U.S.R.   (Trans- 
fers and  Assignments) 
Quartermaster :  Major  James  E.  Ware,  Q.  M.  Corps, 
Assistants:    Captain   Charles  B.    Franke,    Q.M.U.S.R. 
(Finance) 
Captain  Dennis    McSweney,    Q.M.U.S.R.     (Sub- 
sistence) 
Captain  Nels  J.  Thorud,  Q.M.U.S.R.   (Property) 
Captain  John  C.  Christophel,  Q.M.U.S.R.  (Cloth- 
ing) 
Captain  Asa  Irwin,   Q.M.U.S.R.    (C.  and  R.) 
Captain  William  M.  Larner,  Q.M.U.S.R.  (Trans- 
portation) 
Surgeon:  Lieutenant  Colonel  Joseph  Y.  Porter,  M.  C. 

(22  assistants) 
Exchange  Officer:  Captain  Daniel  R.  Raymond,  Q.M. 

U.S.R. 
Mess  Officer:  Captain  Lewis  B.  Massie,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Signal  Officer:  First  Lieut,  John  T.  McAniff,  U.S.R. 
Ordnance  Officer:  Captain  Raymond  C.  Keeney,  O.D. 

U.S.R. 
Headquarters  Guard :  Captain  William  F.  Rock,  Q.M. 

U.S.R. 
Receiving   Division:    Captain   Henry   J.    Rath,    Q.M. 
U.S.R. 
Captain  E.  B.  Snyder,  Q.M.U.S.R. 


CAMP  JOHNSTON,  FLORIDA  409 

Captain  S.  J.  Ellis,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain  S.  W.  Shaffer,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain  M.  McMahon,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain  J.  S.  Walker,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain  T.  Kenney,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Educational     Director:     Captain    John     C.     Duncan, 
Q.M.R. 
Captain    John    G.     DeMuth,    Q.M.U.S.R.     (As- 
sistant) 
Director  of  Correspondence  School :  Captain  Thomas  J. 
Berney,  Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain  Richard  Gibbons,  Q.M.U.S.R,  (Assistant) 
Officers'   School    (Construction  and  Repair)  :   Captain 
Charles  S.   Timmins,   Q.M.U.S.R.,   Senior   In- 
structor (9  Assistants) 
Finance  and  Accounting:  Captain  J.  M.  Clark,  Q.M. 
U.S.R.  (Senior  Instructor) 
Second  Lieutenant  Frank  E.  Parker  (Assistant) 
Administration :     Captain    James    L.     Greene,     Q.M. 

U.S.R.,  Senior  Instructor  (7  Assistants) 
Transportation:  Captain  Osman  Freeman,  Q.M.U.S.R., 

Senior  Instructor  (9  Assistants) 
Supply:    Captain    Walter    L.    Sherman,    Q.M.U.S.R., 

Senior  Instructor  (10  Assistants) 
Auto  Motive  School :  Captain  Jeremiah  W.  O'Mahoney, 

Q.M.R.,  Senior  Instructor 
Motor  Cycle  School :  Captain  Harry  Diffenbaugh,  Q.M. 

LLS.R.,  Senior  Instructor 
Remount  Depot:  Captain  Timothy  H.  Murphy,  Q.M.R. 

The  complexity  of  Quartermaster  training  may  be 
judged  from  the  variety  of  technical  and  special  organ- 
izations sent  out  from  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Jack- 
sonville, Fla.,  the  largest  of  all  Quartermaster  mobiliza- 


410       THE  QUAKTEKMASTER  CORPS 

tion  and  training  camps.  Records  show  that  during  the 
13  months  in  which  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston  trained 
enlisted  and  commissioned  personnel,  82,070  men  passed 
through  this  camp.  Among  the  more  common  Quarter- 
master units  organized  at  this  camp  were  supply  com- 
panies, butchery  companies,  salvage  units,  graves  regis- 
tration units,  clothing  and  bath  units,  typist  and  steno- 
graphic units,  railhead  detachments,  motor-truck  trains, 
miscellaneous  Quartermaster  units,  sales  commissary 
units,  and  units  consisting  of  mechanics,  plumbers, 
painters,  and  electricians.  Student  officers  were  trained 
as  specialists  in  contracts ;  water,  rail,  and  motor  trans- 
portation; money  accounts;  property  accounts;  general 
administration  and  company  administration;  supplies, 
subsistence,  and  clothing  and  equipage;  construction 
and  repair;  motor  truck;  motor  car;  motorcycle;  and 
personnel.  In  addition  to  the  many  men  sent  directly 
overseas,  large  numbers  were  assigned  to  camps  and 
posts  in  the  United  States.  In  all  8,152  were  sent  from 
Camp  Johnston  to  other  camps  for  special  assignment. 
Two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-six  officers  re- 
ported from  other  stations  for  duty,  and  of  this  num- 
ber 2,397,  up  to  November  27,  1918,  had  left  the  camp 
for  duty  elsewhere.  The  greatest  strength  of  the  camp 
was  on  August  22,  1918,  when  there  were  stationed  at 
Camp  Johnston  27,661  men  and  944  officers.  Three 
hundred  and  sixty  special  technical  units  were  organ- 
ized in  this  camp  and  sent  overseas.  The  total  number 
of  units  organized  in  this  camp,   including  those  for 


CAMP  JOHNSTON,  FLORIDA  411 

overseas,  was  405.     (Report  Quartermaster  General  for 
1919.) 

The  citizens  of  Jacksonville,  Florida,  evinced  a  genu- 
ine interest  in  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston  and  did  every- 
thing possible  to  promote  the  welfare  and  contentment 
and  provide  sources  of  amusement  for  both  the  officers 
and  the  men  at  the  Camp. 


CONCLUSION 

Almost  every  one  of  the  subjects  touched  on  in  this 
book  would,  if  as  fully  and  exhaustively  treated  as  its 
importance  warrants,  make  a  separate  book  of  itself; 
and  some  subjects  would  require  several  volumes  to  com- 
pletely describe  them.  The  entire  subject  was  of  vast 
and  vital  importance  due  to  the  enormous  numbers  of 
men  in  the  service,  the  fact  that  the  activities  embraced 
such  great  number  and  variety  of  items  and  covered  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  world,  and  that  the  distances  were 
so  great.  Further,  the  amount  of  money  largely  ex- 
ceeded the  great  sum  which  would  be  involved  by  a  com- 
bination of  the  financial  statements  of  many  of  the 
greatest  corporations  in  this  country. 

In  fact,  the  total  amount  of  money  appropriated  by 
Congress  for  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  the  year  1917 
was  nearly  four  times  the  total  of  all  the  expenditures 
of  our  Government  for  the  year  prior  to  our  entry  into 
the  war. 

It  has  been  a  considerable  task  to  treat  all  the  sub- 
jects in  a  clear  and  comprehensive  manner  and  keep 
this  book  to  a  reasonable  size,  and  still  bring  out  the 
salient  features  of  the  work  accomplished. 

In  outlining  the  work  performed  by  the  Quartermas- 
ter Corps  in  the  year  1917  in  the  World  War  it  has  been 

412 


CONCLUSION  413 

necessary  in  many  cases  to  take  the  entire  results  ac- 
complished by  various  organizations  or  activities  then 
first  established.  It  was  not  possible  to  terminate  the 
statement  with  the  end  of  the  year  1917,  for  many  of 
the  contracts  made  in  1917  and  many  of  the  activities 
then  inaugurated  were  not  concluded  until  late  in  1918. 
Particular  pains  have  been  taken,  however,  to  avoid 
claiming  credit  for  any  organization  or  activity  devised 
in  a  subsequent  period. 

In  reviewing  the  summary  it  may  fairly  be  main- 
tained that  the  site  was  cleared  and  prepared;  all  the 
foundations  laid;  the  superstructure  planned  and  a 
large  portion  of  it  constructed  and  actually  occupied. 
The  modifications  of  the  superstructure  later  effected 
were,  however,  erected  on  the  foundations  previously 
laid,  which  proved  adequate  to  bear  the  superimposed 
load.  The  immense  plant  drew  men  from  every  branch 
of  labor  and  of  science  to  aid  in  its  completion  and  assist 
in  its  effective  operation.  The  failures  were  few,  and 
are  negligible  in  comparison  with  the  enormous  amount 
of  work  accomplished. 

The  personal  knowledge  of  the  large  part  contributed 
by  the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  1917  to  promote  the 
physical  welfare  and  comfort  of  the  men  behind  the 
guns  has  inspired  this  statement  of  the  facts  as  a  tribute 
to  the  loyalty,  efficiency  and  untiring  devotion  to  duty 
of  its  members  and  civilian  personnel. 
HENRY  G.  SHARPE, 
Major  General,  U.  S.  Army, 

(Formerly  Quartermaster  General.) 


INDEX 


Adams,  Lieutenant  Colonel  John 
H.,  128 

Adams,  Laurence,   116 

Agent  officers,  77,  78 

Aishton,   R.   M.,   344 

Alsberg,  Dr.,  101 

"America's  Race  to  Victory," 
by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Requin, 
quoted,  35,  36, 88 ;  on  develop- 
ment of  National  Army,  186 

American  Can  Company,  306 

American  Railway  Association: 
Committee  of,  on  transporta- 
tion of  troops,  203,  344,  347, 
348 

American  Telephone  and  Tele- 
graph Company,  291 

American  Woolen  Company, 
164,   165 

American  Wool  Growers'  Asso- 
ciation, 73 

Animals:  purchasing  and  ship- 
ping of,  by  Remount  Division 
254  et  seq.;  tables  showing 
purchase  and  losses  of,  267- 
269 

Anthony,  Mr.  George  A.,  353 

Appropriations:  statement  of 
(1918),  77-80 

Armour  Emergency  Rations,  306 

Army:  creation  of  Supply  De- 
partments in,  4;  problem  of 
financing,  68  et  seq.;  pay  of, 
81  et  seq.;  system  of,  pay 
allotments,  73,  74 

Army  Reorganization  Act:  in 
relation  to  Quartermaster's 
Corps,  26,  27 


Army    Transport    Service,    321 

et  seq.,  377  et  seq. 
Army  Vessel  Service,  377 
"Art   of    Subsisting  Armies   in 

War,  The,"  by  General  Henry 

Granville  Sharpe,  cited,  93 
Atlanta:   Quartermaster  Depot, 

301,   302 
Atwater,  Professor,  101 
Austin,  Colonel  William  G.,  65, 

370 
Auxiliary  Remount  and  Animal 

Embarkation  Depots:   list  of, 

256  et  seq. 
Aviation  Section,  8 

Baily,  Harry  L.,  179 

Baker,  Colonel  Chauncey  B., 
355;    plan   of,   379,   380 

Baker,  Secretary  Newton  D., 
quoted  on  Army  food,  127, 
128,  152,  153,  157;  letter  of, 
quoted  on  equipage  and 
clothing  for  recruits,  183- 
185;  correspondence  of,  with 
General  Sharpe  on  equipment, 
provisioning,  etc.,  187 ;  state- 
ment of,  to  Congress  on  tech- 
nical troops,  194  et  seq.; 
letter  of,  to  Senator  Cham- 
berlain, relating  to  clothing 
shortage,  229-231;  testimony 
of,  before  Senate  Committee 
of  Military  Affairs,  quoted, 
232,  284 

Bakery  Branch:  expansion  of, 
117  et  seq. 

Balfour,  Mr.,   198 


415 


416 


INDEX 


Baltimore :  Quartermaster  De- 
pot, 302,  402 

Barnes,  J.  Lee,  116 

Bates,   Colonel,   269 

Bennett,  Hon.  W.  S.,  376 

Berney,  Captain  Thomas  J., 
409 

Besler,  W.  C,  344 

Bifield,  Mr.  Joseph,  114,   128 

Bliss,   Mr.   E.   J.,    146 

Bliss,  Major  General  Tasker 
H.,  39,  46;  opinion  of,  on 
enlistments  in  Quartermas- 
ter's Corps,  56;  cablegram 
from,  on  transportation  prob- 
lem in  France,  quoted,  58; 
letter  to  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral, 86 ;  correspondence  on 
maintenance  of  Army,  86,  87, 
157,   166,   199,   367 

Board  of  Control  of  Labor 
Standards  for  Army  Cloth- 
ing,  182 

Boomer,  Mr.  L.  M.,  112,  116 

Boston  Quartermaster  Depot, 
277  et  seq.,  302,  303 

Boston  Wool  Trade  Association : 
patriotic  resolution  of, 
173 

Bourquin,  James  F.,  398 

Bristol,  Colonel  Matt  C,  270 

Brown,  Mr.  Jacob  F.,   176,  179 

Brydges,  Captain,  269 

Caderwald,  Major  A.  A.,  270 

Camp  Boyd,  402 

Camp  Devens,  278,  302 

Camp  Holabird,  302,  402 

Camp   Jessup,   402 

Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnston:  26, 
66 ;  Remount  Training  at,  262 
et  seq.,  401;  work  of,  403- 
411 

Camp  Meigs,  342,  401 

Camp  Merritt,  66 

Camp  Normyle,  402 


Cantonment  Division:  14;  ac- 
tivities  of,   297   et  seq. 

Carson,  Brigadier  General  John 
M.,  128,  317  et  seq.;  troop 
transportation  work  of,  358 
et  seq. 

Cassatt,  Major  E.  B.,  407 

Casualty  Camp,  Governors  Isl- 
and, 66 

Cemeterial  Branch,  66,  67 

Chamberlain,  Senator  George 
E.,  Chairman  Committee  on 
Military  Affairs:  letter  to, 
on  clothing  shortage,  229-232 

Channing,  Major  Haydon,  269, 
270 

Chefs'  Association,   114 

Chicago  Quartermaster  Depot, 
303  et  seq.;  388 

Chief  of  Staff:  relation  of,  to 
Supply  Departments,  10,  11, 
15.     See    also    General    Bliss 

Chittenden,   Professor,    101 

Christophel,  Captain  John  C, 
408 

Civil  Service  Commission :  in 
relation  to  civilian  personnel, 
18 

Civilians:  status  of,  in  Quarter- 
master General's  Office,  17  et 
seq. 

Clark,  Captain  Frederick  S., 
180 

Clark,  Captain  J.  M.,  409 

Clark,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wil- 
liam F.,  128,  342 

Clarkson,  Major  Coker  F.,  394, 
398 

Clothing  and  Equipment 
Branch,  129  et  seq. 

Clothing    and   equipage:    state- 
ment   of,    shipped    overseas, 
234  et  seq. 
Clyde    Steamship    Company, 
323 

Coart,  Captain  L.  H.,  398 


INDEX 


417 


Coleman,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Sherrard,   112,   115 

Columbus,  N.  M.,  385 

Columbus,  Ohio,  393 

Commission  to  Investigate  the 
Conduct  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment in  the  War  with  Spain: 
report  of,  quoted,  4,  5 

Committee  on  Supplies,  179, 
180 

Comptroller  of  the  Treasury: 
finance  work  of,  71,  74 

Congress:  in  relation  to  the 
Quartermaster's  Department, 
5-16,  passim;  and  the  Army 
Appropriation  Bill,  68,  80; 
relation  of,  to  troop  trans- 
portation, 352;  appropria- 
tions by,  for  Quartermaster's 
Corps,  412 

Copeland,  A.   W.,   394 

Conservation  Branch:  establish- 
ment of,   16 

Construction  Division:  func- 
tions of,  and  work  accom- 
plished by,   292-300 

Continental  Congress:  and  the 
Supply  Department,  4 

Corps  de  l'lntendence,  25 

Council  of  National  Defense: 
72,  149,  154,  155;  agreement 
between,  and  leather  dealers, 
253;    326 

Couste,  Colonel,  269 

Davenport,  L.  M.,  116 
Davis,  Preston,  269 
DeMuth,  Captain  John  G.,  409 
Deficiency  Act,  77,  note 
Deficiency  Bill,  68  et  seq. 
Deitrick,    Colonel    Leonard    L., 

108,    109,    128 
Denman,     Mr.     William:     355, 

357;       and      the      transport 

McClellan,  368 
Detroit,  394 


Devereux,  Major   Frederick  L., 

290,   291 
Devol,    Major    General    Carroll 

A.,   128,  341 
Diffenbaugh,     Captain     Harry, 

409 
Downey,     Colonel     George     F., 

342 
Doyle,  Captain  Edward  P.,  408 
Drake,  Colonel  Charles  B.,  398 
Dravo,  Colonel  E.  E.,  240 
Drefs,  A.   G.,  399 
Duncan,  Captain  John   C,  409 

Ecole   de   l'lntendence,   23,   99, 

382 
Eddington,    F.   R.,   79 
Eisenman,   Charles,    179 
El   Paso  Quartermaster   Depot, 

309,  385,  387 
Ellis,   Captain  S.   J.,   409 
Elting,  Major   Stewart  C,   115 
Eppley,  Eugene,  116 
Embarkation  Service:  duties  of, 

367  et  seq.;  388 
Engineers'  Corps,  8 
England:    attitude    of,    toward 

reclamation  of  materials  and 

supplies,  240 

Fair,  Colonel  John  S.,  269 

Federal  Reserve  Bank,  71 

Field  Bakeries,  99,  100 

Finance  and  Accounting  Divi- 
sion: expansion  of,  68  et  seq.; 
problems  of,  70-89 

First  Convoy:  ships  compris- 
ing, 358  et  seq.;  387 

First  Division:  motor  equip- 
ment  of,   386 

Food    Administration,    94,    101 

Food  Purchase  Board:  activ- 
ities  of,   95   et   seq. 

Ford,  Mr.  Henry,  279 

Ford  Motor  Company  Assem- 
bling Plant,  302  et  seq. 


418 


INDEX 


Fort  Bliss,  245 

Fort  Brown,  385 

Fort  Keogh,  245 

Fort  Reno,  245 

Fort  Riley,  107-109 

Fort  Sam  Houston:  109,  245; 
Quartermaster  Depot,  309, 
385,  387 

Four  Wheel  Drive  Motor  Car 
Company,  387 

France:  transportation  prob- 
lem in,  57  et  seq.;  stevedores 
in,  65;  financing  disbursing 
Quartermasters  in,  75;  atti- 
tude of,  toward  reclamation 
of  supplies,  240;  installation 
of  ice  plant  in,  294;  trans- 
portation of  troops  to,  359 
et  seq.;  motor  transportation 
in,  381,  382 

Franke,  Captain  Charles  B., 
408 

Franklin,  Mr.  P.  A.  S.,  323 

Frazier,  J.   M.,   116 

Freeman,   Captain   Osman,   409 

French   High    Commission,   369 

Front  Royal,  Va.,  245 

Fuel  Administration,  239  et 
seq. 

Fuel  and  Forage  Branch:  16; 
work  of,  239  et  seq. 

Furlow,  Colonel  James  W.,  296, 
398 

Gallagher,  Colonel  Hugh  J., 
128,   302 

Garford  Motor  Truck  Company, 
387 

General  Deficiency  Bill:  pro- 
visions of,  for  Quarter- 
master's  Corps,   80,   82 

General  Staff:  advocacy  of,  by 
Secretary  Root,  10,  380 

Gibbons,   Captain  Richard,  409 

Gifford,  Mr.  Walter  Sherman, 
269 


Girl,  Christian,  398 

Godfrey,   Brigadier   General   E. 

S.,  107 
Goethals,   General   George   W. : 

memorandum    of,    on    inspec- 
tors, 49,  50 
Goodwyn,  Colonel  Carey  E.,  65 
Government  Printing  Office,  21, 

22 
Governors  Island:   facilities  of, 

326  et  seq. 
Gracie,   Lieutenant   Colonel   W. 

B.,    176,    303 
Gram-Bernstein    Motor     Truck 

Company,   394 
Grant,  Colonel  Frank  A.,  330 
Grant,    General    Frederick    D., 

113,    114 
Greene,  Captain  James  I.,  409 
Gregg,     Mr.     Cecil     D.,     114, 

128 
Grocery  Division:   problems  of, 

304  et  seq. 
Grove,  Colonel  W.  R.,  128 
Gunning,  General,  269 

Haight,  F.  E.,   180 
Hamburg-American     Steamship 

Company,   317,   318,   323 
Harbor  Boat  Service,  371 
Harrison,   Fairfax,   344 
Hart,  Colonel  William  H.,  341 
Hathaway,    Major    C.    Emory, 

115 
Hegeman,  Colonel,  296,  297 
Heron,  General  Thomas,  295 
Hess,  Captain  R.  H.,  290 
Hight,  F.  S.,   116 
Hill,  J.  Stacey,   116 
Hindenburg,  Field  Marshal  von, 

232 
Hinoldi,  Colonel,  269 
Hirsch,  Colonel  Harry  J.,   154, 

161,  173,  331,  337,  338 
Hoboken:  stevedore  troubles  at, 

380 


INDEX 


419 


Hoboken  Manufacturers'  Shore 

R.  R.,  323 
Holbrook,    Colonel    Lucius    R., 

107 
Horton,  Colonel  W.  H.,  239 
Hotel  Keepers'  Association,  114 

Ice  Plant  Company,  294 
Interim  Bond,  74 
International    Mercantile    Ma- 
rine Company,  323 
Irwin,  Captain  Asa,  408 

Jacksonville,  Fla.,  26,  401,  403 
Jeffersonville        Quartermaster 

Depot,  309   et  seq. 
Joffre,  Field  Marshal,  179 
Joint   Army    and   Navy   Board 
for    the    Inspection    of    Mer- 
chant   Ships:     activities    of, 
371-381 
Jones,    Colonel    S.    G.,    110    et 
seq. 

Kaplan,  S.  M.,  179 
Keene,  Captain  M.  S.,  286 
Kelley,  Mrs.  Florence,  182 
Kenney,  Captain  T.,  409 
Kernan,  Captain  F.  J.,  366 
Kimball,  Colonel  Amos  W.,  302 
Kirstein,  Louis  C,  182 
Kitchener  Army:  equipment  of, 

recruits,   184,   185 
Knight,  Colonel  John  T.,  341 
Kniskern,    General    Albert    D., 

128,  309 
Konesi,  Captain  Walter  E.,  182 

Lawrence,  Arthur,  180 
Langworthy,      Professor,      101, 

106 
Larner,    Captain    William    M., 

408 
Larsen,     Captain     Andrew     C, 

408 
Lemly,  Major  H.  R.,  69 


Locomobile  Company  of  Amer- 
ica, 387 

Los  Angeles  Quartermaster  De- 
pot, 341 

Ludington,  Quartermaster  Gen- 
eral, 353 

Machine  Shop  Unit,  370 

Mallory,  Mr.   Clifford,  323 

Martin,  D.  D.,  179 

Massie,  Captain  Lewis  B.,  408 

McAniff,  Lieutenant  John  T., 
408 

McCabe,  Mr.  C.  B.,  359 

McGlellan,   transport,   368,   369 

McElwain,   J.   F.,   180 

Mcintosh,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
J.   N.,    128 

McGlynn,  116 

McMahon,  Captain  M.,  409 

McSweney,  Captain  Dennis,  408 

Medical   Department,   8 

Melville,  Admiral,  353 

Metcalf,  Mr.  Stephen  O.,  176, 
179 

Mexico:  24,  64;  Pershing  ex- 
pedition into,  68,  255;  puni- 
tive expedition  to,  382  et  seq. 

Middleton,  Captain  Jackson, 
408 

Milton,  Major  Alexander  M., 
115 

Mine  Planters,  376  et  seq. 

Montgomery   Ward   &   Co.,   309 

Morgan,  Guy,  399 

Motor  Transportation:  381  et 
seq.;  development  of,  383  et 
seq. J  organization,  400;  per- 
sonnel, 401;  training,  401, 
402 

Munro,  270 

Munson,  Colonel  Fred  L.,  403, 
408 

Murphy,  Captain  Timothy  H., 
409 

Murray,  Captain  M.  S.,  107 


420 


INDEX 


Nash  Motors  Company,  387 

National  Army:  work  of  Quar- 
termaster's Corps  in  supply- 
ing and  equipping.  See  Sup- 
plies. 

National  Council  of  Defense, 
269.  See  also  Council  of 
National    Defense. 

National  Defense  Act  (June  3, 
1916)  :  29,  26,  36,  51,  60, 
149,    154,    155 

National  Guard:  bonding  of, 
74;  equipping  of,  131  et  seq. 

Navy:  and  convoy  service,  218; 
part  played  by,  in  troop 
transportation,  350,  351;  De- 
partment, and  reconditioning 
of  interned  vessels,  356  et 
seq. 

Navy  League,  104 

Negroes:  stevedore  work  of,  on 
First  Convoy,  369,  370 

New  Orleans  Quartermaster  De- 
pot, 317 

New  York :  Quartermaster's 
Depot,  317-330;  shipment  of 
freight  to,  for  First  Convoy, 
360  et  seq.;  380 

New  York  Merchants'  Associa- 
tion, 323 

Newport  News,  380 

North  German  Lloyd  Steam- 
ship Company,  317,  318,  323 

Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General:  organization  of,  13 
et  seq.;  civilian  personnel  of, 
17  et  seq.;  transportation 
plans  of,  343  et  seq. 

Officers'  Keserve  Corps,  29  et 
seq. 

Officers'  Training  Camps,  31  et 
seq. 

Ohio   State  University,   395 

Omaha  Quartermaster  Depot, 
330 


O'Mahoney,    Captain    Jeremiah 

W.,  409 
Orton,  Major  Edward,  Jr.,  394, 

398 
Orton,  Major  J.  R.,  296 
Overman   Law,   7,  9 

Packard  Motor  Car  Company, 
387 

Page,  Mr.  E.  D.,  323 

Panchard,  Mr.  Edouard,  112, 
114 

Parker,  Lieutenant  Frank  E., 
409 

Pegram,  Major   James  C,    115 

Perkins,  Major  George  F., 
290 

Pershing,  General  John  J.,  23, 
24;  and  transportation  in 
France,  59  et  seq.;  62;  expe- 
dition into  Mexico,  68,  81,  88, 
89,  104;  cablegrams  from, 
calling  for  clothing  for  troops 
overseas,  cited,  209,  210,  212, 
213,  214,  215,  218,  219,  220, 
221 ;  attitude  of,  toward 
negro    stevedores,    369 

Personnel:  Civilian,  of  the 
Office  of  the  Quartermaster 
General  during  the  World 
War,  17  et  seq.;  commis- 
sioned, 22   et  seq. 

Philadelphia  Quartermaster  De- 
pot, 330  et  seq. 

Pierce,  Major  Charles  C,  67 

Pierce- Arrow  Company,  387 

Pope,  Colonel   F.  H.,   382 

Porter,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Jo- 
seph   Y.,   408 

Portland  ( Ore. )  Quartermaster 
Depot,  340 

Powers,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Robert   B.,   302 

Preistman,  Howard:  quoted  on 
reworking  wool  for  Army  use 
in  England,  227,  228 


INDEX 


421 


Presidio,  San  Francisco,  107, 
109 

Program  for  organizing  the 
National  Army,  quoted,  191 
et  seq. 

Puckle,  Colonel,  219 

Punitive  Expedition  into  Mex- 
ico, 148,  382  et  seq. 

Quartermaster  Boat  Service, 
379 

Quartermaster  Corps:  4;  crea- 
tion of,  11;  functions  of,  12, 
13;  personnel  division  of,  22 
et  seq.;  Army  Reorganization 
Act  in  relation  to,  26  et  seq.; 
legislation  relative  to  expan- 
sion of,  42  et  seq.;  full 
strength  of,  44 ;  Finance  and 
Accounting  Division  of,  68- 
89;  strength  of,  before  World 
War,  51  et  seq.;  difficulties 
attending  organization  of 
certain  units  of,  60  et  seq.; 
list  of  special  organizations 
of,  64,  65 ;  Finance  and  Ac- 
counting Division  of,  68-89 ; 
Supplies  Division,  90-240; 
Remount  Division  of,  244  et 
s\eq.;  Warehousing  Division 
of,  271  et  seq.;  Construction 
Division,  292-300 ;  Canton- 
ment Division,  297  et  seq.; 
and  the  stevedore  question, 
369,  370 ;  transportation  ac- 
tivities of  the,  343-405;  and 
motor  transportation,  381  et 
seq.;  training  camp,  403-411; 
appropriations  of  Congress 
for,  412 

Quartermaster  Depots,  301-342 

Quartermaster  General:  in  re- 
lation to  personnel  of  Reserve 
Corps,  36  et  seq.;  memoran- 
dum of,  regarding  supplies 
/or    the    First    Convoy,    361- 


363.  See  also  General  Henry 
G.  Sharpe,  361-363 

Quartermaster's  Officers'  Re- 
serve Corps,  36 

Quartermaster  Training  School. 
See  Camp  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston. 

Quinlan,  Walter  S.,  399 

Race,  Arthur  L.,  115 

Randies,   G.   W.,   399 

Rath,  Captain  Henry  J.,  408 

Raymond,  Captain  Daniel  R., 
408 

Raymond,  Mr.   H.   H.,   323 

Rector,  J.  B.,  116 

Red  Cross,    198 

Reinach-Werth,  Captain,  269, 
270 

Remount  Branch,  15,  16,  314 
et  seq. 

Repair  Shops,  241  et  seq. 

Requin,  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
quoted  on  the  making  of  the 
National  Army,  35,  36,  88, 
89,   186 

Revolutionary  War,  9 

Robins,  Mrs.  Thomas,  111 

Rock,  Captain  William  F., 
408 

Root,  Secretary:  in  relation  to 
division  of  the  Quarter- 
master's   Department,    5 

Rosenwald,  Julius,  179 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,   143 

Ruhlen,   Colonel   George,   341 

San    Francisco    Quartermaster 

Depot,  340,  341 
Schermerhorn,  Mr.  S.  G.,  323 
Schofield:     case    of     the    mine 

planter,  378 
School    for    Bakers   and   Cooks, 

28,  29 
Scott,  Albert  L.,   179 
Scott,  Rufus  W.,  179 


422 


INDEX 


Seattle  Quartermaster  Depot, 
341 

Secretary  of  War:  relation  of, 
to  supply  departments,  9,  11, 
14,  15;  in  relation  to  ex- 
pansion of  Quartermaster's 
Corps,  42;  in  relation  to 
Transportation  Division,  346. 
See  also  Newton  D.  Baker. 

Seelbach,  Otto,  116 

Selden  Motor  Vehicle  Company, 
394 

Selective  Service  Law,  156 

Senate  investigation  of  clothing 
situation,  221  et  seq. 

Service  of  the  Rear,  62  et  seq. 

Shaffer,  Captain  S.  W.,  409 

Shanks,  Brigadier  General  D. 
C,  364 

Sharpe,  General  Henry  G. : 
letter  of,  on  Quartermaster 
training  camps,  quoted,  31- 
34;  memorandum  of,  regard- 
ing inspecting  personnel,  47, 
48;  memorandum  of,  to  Chief 
of  Staff,  86;  memorandum 
of,  to  Secretary  of  War  in 
relation  to  equipment,  157; 
letters  and  memoranda  of, 
relative  to  provisioning  and 
equipping  National  Army, 
186  et  seq.;  program  of,  to 
supply  War  Army,  188,  189; 
quoted,  200-202,  207-209 ; 
conference  of,  with  Adjutant 
General  regarding  shipment 
of  clothing  to  France,  209 
et  seq.;  letter,  quoted,  298, 
299,  319  et  seq.;  and  the 
stevedore   question,    322,   413 

Sherman:  case  of  the  Army 
transport,   378 

Sherman,  Captain  Walter  L., 
409 

Shipping  Board,  349;  activities 
of,    in    the    matter    of    troop 


ships,  355  et  seq.;  work  of, 
in  troop  transportation,  356 
et  seq. 

Signal  Corps,  8 

Slavens,  Colonel  Thomas  H., 
128,  324,  330 

Smith,   Mr.   A.   G.,   323 

Smith,   Ray,   116 

Smith,  Major  William  H.,   115 

Snyder,  Captain  E.  B.,  408 

Society  of  Automotive  Engi- 
neers, 393,  394 

Spanish  War,  27 ;  influence  of, 
upon  establishment  of  trans- 
port fleet,   351,   353 

Special  Committee  on  Coopera- 
tion with  Military  Author- 
ities,  344 

Special  Units:    list  of,  201 

Spengler,  Captain  Jacob  H., 
408 

St.  Louis  Quartermaster  Depot, 
341,  342 

Steele,  Major  Harry  L.,  341 

Stevedore  Battalion,  380 

Stevedores,  65,  369,  370 

Stevens,   C.   B.,   179 

Stevenson,  Mr.  Robert  H.,  Jr., 
176 

Stimson,  Captain,  359 

Street,  Mr.  0.  D.,  281,  290,  291 

Strook,  S.   F.,    179 

Subsistence  Branch:  work  of, 
90   et  seq. 

Supplies:  distribution  of,  in 
United  States,  237  et  seq.; 
conservation  and  reclamation 
of,  240  et  seq. 

Supplies  Division:  90  et  &eq.; 
Clothing  and  Equipment 
Branch   of,   129   et  seq. 

Supply  Corps,   6 

Supply  Department's:  3  et  seq.; 
provision  of,  for  First  Con- 
voy, 360  et  seq. 

Supply  Depots,  72  et  seq. 


INDEX 


423 


Talbot,  Major  Ralph,  115 

Thayer,  Mr.  H.  B.,  280,  281,  291 

Thompson,  A.  W.,  344 

Thorud,  Captain  Nels  J.,  408 

Tillson,  Colonel  J.  C,  320,  321; 
appointed  Port  Commander, 
364 

Tilson,  Mr.,  quoted,  125 

Timmins,  Captain  Charles  S., 
409 

Tracy,  Percy  W.,  399 

Transport  Workers'  Battalion, 
369 

Transportation  Division :  in  re- 
lation to  moving  National 
Army,  204;  study  of,  343- 
402 

Transportation:  relation  of,  to 
war,  3;  General  Bliss  on, 
problem  in  France,  58 

Transports,  217 

Troop  Movement  Section  of  the 
United  States  Railroad  Ad- 
ministration: magnitude  of 
work  of,  347,  348 

Troop  Ships:  conversion  of 
German  interned  vessels  into, 
356  et  seq.  See  also  Trans- 
portation,  Transports. 

Trucks:  385;  standardization 
of,  395-397 

Trulock,  W.  N.,  116 

Tyrrell,  Percy,   116 

United  Fruit  Company,  323 

United  States  Army  Transport 
Service:  birth  and  develop- 
ment of,  350  et  seq.;  condi- 
tion of,  at  outbreak  of  World 
War,  352,  353 

United  States  Railroad  Admin- 
istration, 347,  348 

Unmacht,  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
308,  309 

Urgent  Deficiency  Bill,  80 

Utz,  J.  G.,  399 


Vail,  Mr.  Theodore  N.,  291 

Valentine,  Colonel,  270 

Van  Vleck,  Mr.  Frank,  353; 
formation  of  Transportation 
Workers'  Battalion  by,   369 

Van  Buren,  Captain  Charles, 
408 

Vehicle  Program,  250  et  seq. 

Vehicles:  table  showing,  pur- 
chased by  Remount  Division, 
267 

Wadsworth,     Senator:      quoted 

on      feeding      the      National 

Army,  125,  126 
Walker,  Captain  J.   S.,  409 
Walter  Reed  General  Hospital, 

342 
Ward  Line  Steamship  Co.,  323 
Ware,  Captain  James  E.,  408 
Warehousing  Division :  creation 

of,  16;  duties  of,  271  et  seq.; 

functions  of  various  branches 

of,  282-284 
Washington  Barracks,  107-109, 

342 
Washington  Quartermaster  De- 
pot, 342,  394 
Water    Transport    Branch,    369 

et  seq. 
Wehle,  Mr.  L.  B.,  293 
Wells,  Major  Frederick  B.,  290, 

291 
West,  Major  W.  W.,  270 
Western  Electric  Company,  280, 

281,  291 
Wheeler,    Major    Frederick    I.. 

403 
Whitmore,  Sam  J.,   116 
Wiley,  Dr.,   101 
Williams,  Major  A.  E.,  281,  291 
Williams,  Lieutenant  R.  H.,  Jr., 

269,  270 
Williamson,      Colonel      George 

McK.,    128,   303 
Wilson,  Miller,   179 


424  INDEX 

Wilson,   President:    in  relation  mittee  on  Clothing  Situation, 

to  troop  ships,  356  222  et  seq. 

Winterburn,  Colonel,  270  Wood,  Colonel  W.  S.,  317 

Wonson,  Major  H.  S.,  180  Wool  Purchasing  Depot,   171 
Wood,  Colonel  John  P.:   before 

Senate     Investigating     Com-  Zalinski,  Colonel  M.  Gray,  340 


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